IlARE BOOKS all The University of Sydney Copyright in relation to this thesis. Under the Copyright Act 1968 (several provision of which are referred to below). this thesis must be used only under the normal conditions of scholarly fair dealing for the purposes of research. criticism or review. In particular no results or conclusions should be extracted from it, nor should it be copied or closely paraphrased in whole or in part without the written consent of the author. Proper written acknowledgement should be made for any assistance obtained from this thesis. Under Section 35(2) of the Copyright Act 1968 'the author of a literary, dramatic. musical or artistic work is the owner of any copyright subsisting in the work', By virtue of Section 32( I) copyright 'subsists in an original literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work that is unpublished' and of which the author was anAustralian citizen,anAustralian protected person or a person resident inAustralia. The Act, by Section 36( I) provides: 'Subject to this Act, the copyright in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work is infringed by a person who, not being the owner of the copyright and without the licence of the owner of the copyright. does in Australia, or authorises the doing in Australia of, any act comprised in the copyright', Section 31(I )(.)(i) provides that copyright includes the exclusive right to 'reproduce the work in a material form'.Thus.copyright is infringed by a person who, not being the owner of the copyright, reproduces or authorises the reproduction of a work, or of more than a reasonable part of the work, in a material form. unless the reproduction is a 'fair dealing' with the work 'for the purpose of research or study' as further defined in Sections 040 and 04 I of the Act. Section 51(2) provides that 'Where a manuscript, or a copy,of a thesis or other similar literary work that has not been published is kept in a library of a university or other similar institution or in an archives, the copyright in the thesis orother work is not infringed by the making of a copy of the thesis or other work by or on behalf -of the officer in charge of the library or archives if the copy is supplied to a person who satisfies an authorized officer of the library or archives that he requires the copy for the purpose of research or study'. *'Thesis' includes 'treatise', dissertation' and other similar productions, Becoming-man Becoming-wave Clifton Evers A thesis submitted for the degree ofDoctor ofPhilosophy in the Department ofGender Studies at the University ofSydney 2005 Abstract This thesis analyses the complex experience ofmasculinity by men who surf. Norms, rituals, codes, histories, habits, ideals, and beliefs in the surfing field are mapped to recognise how they are lived, and come about, as men become surfers. My analysis mobilises concepts drawn from the work ofElspeth Probyn, Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari, Marcel Mauss, Moira Gatens, and Silvan S. Tomkins. The engagement with these theorists produces a critique ofmasculinity and surfing that relates, and unravels, how men who surfmake sense oftheir lives. A focus ofmy thesis is to promote an openness to new possibilities for doing masculinity. To accomplish this I begin by arguing for an analysis that specifically involves white heterosexual men who surf. My aim is to produce a questioning ofthe ground from which they speak. There is a political impetus here to encourage a self-reflexivity amongst men who surfthat is not currently common. I then question current approaches to studying masculinity and extend upon them. Leaving behind the prominent use of a sex-gender ideology, I theorise bodies, surfing, and masculinity as performances that involve a tripartite relationship between sociology, psychology, and biology. My analysis attends to an affective economy that enables men to negotiate performances in the surfing field. I demonstrate throughout the thesis men feeling and doing masculinity, and how performances change depending on situations. Finally, I offer a consideration of several moments of disjuncture that re-align how masculinity and surfing are done. To this end, the contingency of surfing and masculinity are concretely realised. ii The approaches, discourses and ideologies currently used to explain men, privileges panoramic views that do not get at how masculinity is actually done and feels. What marks this thesis as different to other studies of masculinity is that a key focus is on practices and feelings. My case in this thesis is for studies of masculinity to be more aware of how it is embodied, dynamic, and sensuous. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments iv Chapters Introduction: Becoming-Wave 1 1. 'Who wants to Surf?' 13 2. He'enalu - Bodies that Surf 34 3. Learning to Surf 76 4. Going Surfing 110 5. The Season of Cyclones 161 6. Waves of Care 203 Conclusion: Wipe-outs 232 Bibliography 242 IV A aABM. paj.lad AW BU!.I1QB)I.IO.i Acknowledgments First of all, I thank my fellow students and recent graduates for taking me in all sorts of fascinating directions with my thinking, and sharing their knowledge. You all made me realise what collegiality really is. So thanks to Gilbert Caluya, Shane McGrath, Julie Mackenzie, Jenz Germon, Prudence Black, Rowena Braddock, Adam Gail, Jane Simon, Cate Thill, Will Tregoning, Glen Fuller, John Attridge, Laina Hall, and Jane Simon. For tireless editing, coffees, and big smiles my gratitude goes to She Hawke - I'm looking forward to lots of surfs when we get you back into the water. I still can't believe the help I received from Kath Albury. Her friendship always made me laugh and kept me going when it all became a bit too much. My experience of studying in the Gender Studies Department has brought me into contact with some wonderful people. At all times the staff offered advice freely and spent time reading my work. The department has a supportive environment. My appreciation goes to Catherine Driscoll, Natalya Lusty, Ruth Barcan, Fiona Probyn, Linnell Secomb, and Michael Moller. There is one particular "chick" who made this thesis what it is and continues to inspire me. My supervisor Elspeth Probyn mentored me with unwavering commitment and care. Her encouragement, friendship, drive, and generosity have not only made my candidature amazing but made surfing new again. Thanks for sharing the stoke E.P. A slap on the back and thankyou to the boys for the waves, laughter, stories, arguments, coaxing into stupid take-offs, ideas, and their agreeing to be part of the research. Special VI mention goes to Scat, C.J., Lebe, Drewboy, Buggsy, Oldie, Andy, Gaz, and Rusty. Without you blokes I couldn't make my way around line-ups like I now do, but you still can't drop-in. I wish for six-foot A-frame mid-tide Straddie peaks for all of you. Thanks also goes to Dr Dave Jenkins and the volunteers of SurfAid International for taking time out to chat to me. There is a sad point here though as I pay my respects, and say terima kasih, to the families who helped me find waves and research in Sumatra, but who I may now never get to thank like I should have when there. A loving thankyou goes to my family - West Evers, Lyn Evers, Kerri-anne, Ame, and Daniel - for putting up with my surfing instead of doing household chores for so many years. Through tough, fun, and sometimes even strange times they have always been there. Coming home remains, and always will be, special. VII Introduction Becoming-Wave There are dynamicfeatures: if moving forward, climbing and descendingare dynamisms of conceptual personae, then leaping like Kierkegaard, dancing like Nietzsche and diving like Melville are others for philosophical athletes irreducibleto one another. And if today our sports are completelychanging, if the old energy­ producingactivities are giving way to exercisesthat, on the contrary, insert themselveson existing energetic networks, this is not just a change in type but yet other dynamic features that enter a thought that "slides" with new substancesof being,with wave or snow and turn the thinker into a sort of surfer as conceptual persona: we renounce then the energetic value of the sporting type in order to pick out the pure dynamic differenceexpressed in a new conceptual persona. Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari: What is Philosophy? It was on a warm morning a few years ago when something happened to spark my interest regarding the relationship between surfmg and masculinity. The sun was heating my back as I waited to paddle out into the surfwith some friends. We were noting how the waves broke, the bounce ofthe white-water, the strength ofthe wind, which surfers were catching the most waves, and how fast the tide was flowing. It only took us a moment. Two local children, a boy and a girl, were drawing waves with chalk on the black boulders that lined the shore. The water would rush up then sweep back over their feet and the many anemones. The children laughed as the wet waves washed over the ones they coloured in. My friends told the young boy to go get his surtboard and come surfing with us. He returned quickly and was excited to be paddling out with my mates - 1 "the boys". The young girl looked on earnestly but was told the waves were too big for her. The girl paddled out later regardless ofthe warning, but sat at the edge ofthe pack of boys who were yelling at the young bloke to take-off on a wave. I watched her edge closer to the group until I told her to go back to the beach.