MASTERARBEIT / MASTER’S THESIS Titel der Masterarbeit / Title of the Master’s Thesis “Women Making Waves.” The Potential of Surfing for Women’s Empowerment – According to the Perspectives of Female Surfers from Sri Lanka. verfasst von / submitted by Martina Burtscher, BA angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (MA) Wien, 2018 / Vienna, 2018 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / A 066 589 degree programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt / Masterstudium Internationale Entwicklung degree programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Betreut von / Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Petra Dannecker, M.A. i Thank you … to all interviewees for sharing their stories with me, and enriching my own perspectives on life. … to the team of Surfing the Nations for supporting me in Sri Lanka. … to my supervisor for giving me advice and encouraging me to think critically. … to my friends who proofread my thesis for giving me helpful feedback. … to my surfer friends from around the world for inspiring me to write my thesis about this topic. … to my parents for always supporting me during all these years of studying, and beyond. ii Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables ........................................................................................................ IV Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ V 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Personal Motivation and Relevance ............................................................................ 1 1.2 Research Question and Aim of the Thesis .................................................................. 4 1.3 Positioning and Methodology ..................................................................................... 5 1.4 Overview and Current State of Research ................................................................... 5 2. Women’s Empowerment .............................................................................................. 7 2.1 History and Critique of Women’s Empowerment ....................................................... 8 2.2 The Concept of Power ................................................................................................. 9 2.2.1 Power as a Zero-Sum-Game or a Win-Win Situation? ......................................... 10 2.2.2 Forms of Power and their Implications for Empowerment .................................. 11 2.3 Definitions of Women’s Empowerment ................................................................... 13 2.4 Key Elements of Women’s Empowerment .............................................................. 13 2.5 The Process of Women’s Empowerment ................................................................. 16 2.6 Dimensions of Women’s Empowerment .................................................................. 18 2.7 Summary ................................................................................................................... 21 3. Sport for Development and Women’s Empowerment .................................... 22 3.1 Definition Sport for Development ............................................................................ 22 3.2 Action Sports for Development ................................................................................ 23 3.3 Sport and Women’s Empowerment .......................................................................... 25 3.3.1 Women’s Empowerment through Sport ................................................................. 25 3.3.2 Women’s Empowerment in Sport ........................................................................... 27 3.4 Summary .................................................................................................................... 30 4. Surfing for Social Good .............................................................................................. 31 4.1 Characteristics of Surfing ......................................................................................... 31 4.2 Women’s Surfing ....................................................................................................... 33 4.2.1 History of Women’s Surfing ..................................................................................... 34 4.2.3 Gender Inequality in Surfing ..................................................................................... 36 4.3 Surfing for Social Good ............................................................................................. 38 I 4.3.1 Surfing and Development Organisations (SDOs) .................................................. 38 4.3.2 Surfing and Women’s Empowerment ...................................................................... 41 4.4 Summary .................................................................................................................... 44 5. Research Design ............................................................................................................ 45 5.1 Methodology .............................................................................................................. 45 5.2 The Field .................................................................................................................... 46 5.2.1 Women’s Surfing in Sri Lanka and Arugam Bay ................................................. 46 5.2.2 Surfing the Nations and Girls Make Waves ........................................................... 49 5.2.3 Gender Equity in Sri Lanka ...................................................................................... 49 5.3 Methods of Data Collection ....................................................................................... 51 5.3.1 Participant Observation .............................................................................................. 52 5.3.2 Biographical Interviews ............................................................................................. 52 5.3.3 Expert Interviews ........................................................................................................ 56 5.4 Access and Sampling ................................................................................................ 57 5.5 Method of Data Analysis .......................................................................................... 58 5.6 Reflection .................................................................................................................. 59 5.6.1 Difficulties in the Research Process ........................................................................ 59 5.6.2 My Standpoint in the Field ....................................................................................... 60 6. Women’s Empowerment through Surfing .......................................................... 62 6.1 Personal Level ................................................................................................................ 62 6.1.1 Expanding Horizons of Possibility .......................................................................... 63 6.1.2 From Fear to Love ..................................................................................................... 67 6.1.3 ‘Blue Space’ and Well-being ................................................................................... 68 6.1.4 ‘Power to’ through learning skills? ......................................................................... 72 6.1.5 Excursus: Constraints and Challenges .................................................................... 74 6.1.6 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 78 6.2 Relational Level .............................................................................................................. 79 6.2.1 The Influence of Surfing on Decision-Making ...................................................... 79 6.2.2 Challenges as Springboard for Women’s Empowerment .................................... 82 6.2.3 Between Respect and Harassment ........................................................................... 83 6.2.4 The Power of Connection ......................................................................................... 85 6.2.5 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 87 6.3 Collective level ............................................................................................................... 88 6.3.1 Surfer Identity and Sisterhood ................................................................................. 88 6.3.2 The Importance of Role Models .............................................................................. 91 II 6.3.3 Potentials of a Women’s Surf Club ......................................................................... 92 6.3.4 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 94 6.4 Community Level ........................................................................................................... 95 6.4.1 Socio-Cultural Sphere: Contesting Gender Norms and Roles ............................. 95 6.4.2 Economic Sphere: Gaining an Income in the Surf Tourism