Yearning for care: an examination of South Asian women’s experiences of physical activity in gymnasiums on the Gold Coast, Australia

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article considers the ways in which South Asian women negotiate care through fitness cultures in gymnasiums. Drawing on contemporary literature at the intersections of geographies of care, cultures of fitness focussed on gymnasiums and intersectional feminist thinking, we examine the ways in which South Asian women engage in physical activities in gymnasiums in hyper-sexualized tourist cities such as the Gold Coast, in Southeast Queensland in Australia. In doing so, the article explores the affective dimensions of engaging in physical activities for South Asian women and how these can be reimagined through momentary experiences of ‘care’. Using a post-humanist feminist lens, we employ in-depth interviews and observational research in exploring how race and gender are inter-implicated in South Asian women’s experiences in gymnasiums.