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Settler colonialism and its current conjuncture: Dan Tout, ‘Settler colonialism in the twenty-first century’, Arena Quarterly, 21, 2025 »

Surfing against settler colonialism: Emily Robleza, ‘Resistance through surfing by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities’, Journal of Occupational Science, 2025

02May25

Abstract: Evidence of resistance using occupation exists in the occupational science literature. However, the experiences of the communities who resist can be further explored to extend understandings of decolonial efforts and reasons for doing so. This qualitative study examined the concept and practice of resistance by centering the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the occupation of surfing. Decolonial epistemologies were applied to explain why and how current grassroots efforts of communities marginalized from a meaningful occupation engaged in it to resist dominant cultures. Eight participants were interviewed to gain insight into their surfing experiences in Southern California and how they have reclaimed the practice. Three identified themes were localism, dynamics of resistance, and coalescing of land, water, and body. The findings provide occupational scientists with an understanding of how the acts and forms in which communities resist aim to enable liberation in response to oppressive forces.


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