On the outskirts? : exploring the Sydney roller derby scene

Abstract

On the Outskirts? is an interdisciplinary ethnographic study of the Sydney roller derby scene. Roller derby is often described as a 'subculture' that is 'alternative', 'extreme', and/or 'counter-cultural', and gender resistive. Scholarly research has focused almost exclusively on skaters' experiences. This thesis argues that although 'subculture' has been employed effectively in the analysis of skater experiences, it is less useful for capturing the contributions of diverse non-skating members such as spectators, non-skating officials and contributors to roller derby media. A further problem with the analysis of roller derby as a subculture is the tendency to theorise in binary terms such as gender resistive/gender conforming and mainstream culture/alternative sub-culture. As the recent work of Pavlidis and Fullagar, and Breeze demonstrates, the reality is more fluid. Often credited to Will Straw, the concept of scene was developed by scholars of popular music and provides an anti-essentialist framework which, in focusing on social relations and spatiality, perceives culture and involvement as heterogeneous and loosely bound; it is not encumbered by the kinds of dualisms"" resistance/conformity, alternative/mainstream, 'in'/'out'""typically associated with 'subculture'. This research into roller derby as a scene offers a thematic analysis of data generated through a year of participant observation, 26 semi-structured interviews with diverse scene members, and visual and textual analysis of roller derby media and promotional material. This combination of methods allowed me to access the multidimensional nature of scenic life as it is mobilised within and across spaces and places, is collaboratively performed, and circulates through official and unofficial channels of communication. A focus on the micro-level performances of cultural life in the roller derby scene illuminates the complexity of participants' involvement and of the transitive nature of roller derby culture as it moves between spaces and places. Rather than operating simply as a stage for skater performances, roller derby supports a myriad of embodied, affectively charged activities across various sites""including live bouts, training sessions, social activities""in which the role of non-skaters is central. Adopting Longhurst's use of 'elective belonging' I explore and analyse scene members' involvement in roller derby as an ongoing, elective process embedded in the flows of everyday life. Scene members are constantly engaged in fluid and highly mobile negotiations of spaces, places, and roles""often in the pursuit of 'more' involvement""and boundaries between roles often merge, blur, and overlap. Through social interaction, as well as media production and consumption, participants generate, draw on, and contest, diverse forms of capital""social, cultural, physical, and erotic""that circulate as social resources. This thesis emphasises the scene-making practices evident in roller derby, and argues that central amongst these are its DIY ethos, the valorisation of pain and injury, and competing discourses around the 'nerd' quality of participants and the functioning of local celebrity. This thesis uses an innovative conceptual framework to revisit and explore 'what', and 'who', roller derby is, and examines how roller derby is collectively""although not necessarily harmoniously"" constituted through fluid, 'messy', and multi-faceted forms of involvement that neither sub-cultural theory nor binary gender analyses can capture.

Date of Award	2016
Original language	English