Territorial disputes, identity conflicts, and violence in surfing

Authors

  • Marília Martins Bandeira State University of Campinas, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5016/7166

Keywords:

surf, violence, identity, sociability

Abstract

Aggressive manifestations of localism are a current concern among surfers and are becoming well known as a result of specialized media. The objective of this paper was to investigate this phenomenon through the examination of a specific case and empirical fieldwork that was conducted for an ethnography of São Paulo surfers. The data were obtained via participant observations and open interviews. The results indicate that conflicts generally begin as disputes over the best waves. Surfing has a general rule of “wave priority criteria,” based on spatial positioning. However, this universal rule may be intentionally broken depending on surfers’ sociability. Ethnic and class differences based on historical processes can exist in oppositional relationships among surfers and are manifested by categories of accusation or identity (in São Paulo’s case, local, haole, roots, prego, and playboy). However, this category attribution is contextual and interchangeable because surfers circulate between groups and beaches while searching for waves.

Author Biography

Marília Martins Bandeira, State University of Campinas, Brazil

Student at the Physical Education Doctorate Program of Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Masters Honours Degree in Social Anthropology at Universidade Federal de São Carlos (2012), post graduated in Social Communication, Fundação Cásper Líbero (2008) and graduated in Physical Education, at Universidade de São Paulo (2007). Research interests: body practices ethnography, identity, gender and embodyment, leisure politics, intercultural education and alternative sports.

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Published

2014-03-19

Issue

V. 20, N. 1 (2014)

Section

Original Articles

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