New Sporting Femininities in China: The Embodied Politics of Roller Derby

Abstract

In this chapter Pavlidis argues that roller derby acts as a floating signifier for feminism. As a contact sport played on roller skates, roller derby is challenging feminine norms in sport and providing diverse women with opportunities to experience their bodies in new and exciting ways. In China roller derby has been introduced by ex-patriot and development workers as a form of feminist intervention. In this particular national context roller derby signifies an embodied protest and challenge, and in doing has become a postfeminist emblem of power, strength and courage. Drawing on interviews with roller derby skaters in China and ethnographic data, Pavlidis demonstrates the possibilities and contradictions roller derby presents for culturally and ethnically diverse women.