Localism

"Maybe I was just a woman in love with a surfboard" She has won the battle to establish a female presence in very male social spaces on terms that concern her physical and mental abilities not how she looks in a bikini. Girl localism is taking root" -Comer

As I read the intro to Comer to my parents in the car as we sped up the California coast (past many a surf break) just hours before leaving for Costa Rica one of the largest things that separated me from understanding her lengthy academic discourse was the term "local/global" and "girl localism."  

In the past hours these concepts begun to unfold: this is my understanding thus far

As the surfer girls become more prevalent and vocal, women are speaking up for their local surf break in matters both political and environmental (become representative riders). This localism is partnered with increased interest and awareness in the ocean and breaks across the world. This interest coupled with passion for surfing and seeking out new waves leads to increased travel and conscientious groups of travelers- increasing the awareness and critical thinking of the greater surf culture 

These feelings of loacalism are a platform for which girl empowerment or individual empowerment springs from.

Comer in another paper "Local/Global Surf Subcultures, Neoliberal Girlhood, the "War on Terror" writes:  

"Merging theories about transnational girlhood under neoliberalism (unregulated economy) with those related to the local/global dialectic in global studies, girl localism argues that girls and women surfers have brought critical perspective not just to norms of femininity but to understandings of the material places (oceans, beaches) in which counterfemininities are enacted." (I want to explore this counterfeminity and the ways in which its expressed in myself and peers)

There are many ways that the concept of local/global interests me. Although, I have never surfed I grew up in a community that viewed outdoor recreation as a top past time because of the immediate accessibility to high peaks, white water rafting and backcountry wilderness. My small town is therefore the destination for many travelers and nature seekers (a similar inland phenomenon to the popular California coast). Because of the large influx of tourist particularly during summer months there is a possessive local culture that holds distain towards non-locals who crowd the river spots. I have witnessed examples of physical appearance and racially influenced judgments as factors in determining who is "local" and therefore allowed at particular river spots.

This example of localism in my immediate life serves as a point of comparison and interest for my analysis in Comer's concept of "girl localism." I hope to reflect further on my participation in this subculture and how it serves to help me understand surf subculture.