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The Experiences of ‘Brown’ Female Bodyboarders: Negotiating Multiple Axes of Marginality

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Women in Action Sport Cultures

Part of the book series: Global Culture and Sport Series ((GCS))

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the experiences of Maori and Pacific Island women who bodyboard in New Zealand. In so doing, it is a response to the whiteness of the majority of surfing scholarship, as well as the dominance of research on stand-up surfers. Drawing upon the original research of the first author and engaging Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus (embodied dispositions), field (the physical space where surfing is practiced), and capital (facets in the surf field that yield power to those who possess them), we explore the nuances associated with the sport of bodyboarding, and particularly the marginalized position of ‘brown’ female body boarders within the hierarchical surfing field. In the first part of the chapter we illustrate some of the strategies female bodyboarders use to gain access and respect within the surf field. In the second, we focus on how brown male and female bodyboarders utilize what the first author has termed ‘brown capital’ in the surf (Nemani, 2013). We conclude by arguing for more research that seeks to provide richer understandings of the intersectionality of non-white women’s experiences in the surf.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Manukau Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Mihi Nemani

  2. Te Oranga, Faculty of Education, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Holly Thorpe

Authors
  1. Mihi Nemani
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  2. Holly Thorpe
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Waikato, New Zealand

    Holly Thorpe

  2. University of Waikato, New Zealand

    Rebecca Olive

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© 2016 The Author(s)

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Nemani, M., Thorpe, H. (2016). The Experiences of ‘Brown’ Female Bodyboarders: Negotiating Multiple Axes of Marginality. In: Thorpe, H., Olive, R. (eds) Women in Action Sport Cultures. Global Culture and Sport Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-45797-4_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-45797-4_11

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-45796-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-45797-4

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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