Understanding Serena Williams Talking about race class and gender separately but everything intersects Serena Williams is a black female who grew up poor Module 1 Structures and Processes focused on a macro societal level Module 2 Bodies and identities we are going to focus on a micro individual level of analysis and focus on the various ways that contemporary physical culture is lived and experienced Dialectic relationship between the macro and the micro the individual and society A mutual influence In module 2 we will examine the ways in which physical culture and identity are linked within everyday experience through socially constructed notions of race class and gender Who is Serena Williams Tennis Champion Biographical Details Reached 1 in the world on 5 occasions Grew up in a poor area Started playing at 5 years old Moved to Florida at 9 to attend tennis academy Conrtoversies Stopped playing in national junior tennis tournaments at 10 years old due to racist comments Indian Wels 2001 o Semi final match between Venus and Serena cancelled due to knee tendonitis led to allegations of match fixing by Richard Williams o Serena taunted by fans during finals o Faced a LOT of racial slurs The Catsuit at 2002 US Open Key Question To understand Serena Williams which aspect of identity race class or gender is the most important In many ways there is no simple answer to this question Each play a significant role Before we can begin to analyze Serena s identity we must first Develop an ontological framework through which to understand the relationship between the individual and society generally One other thing but idk what it was cause he s a stupid fucking douche Ontological understanding ontology the study of the nature of being existence What as individuals is the nature of our existence To what degree are we free to shape our own life experiences How if at all are we shaped constrained by the wider social structures in which we are located Are we made by the society we live or do we make it Does the social structure actually determine individual lives and experiences The Ontological Questions Structure agency How much choice do we have Determination autonomy Only things that matters is the social structures determination We all have freedom choice power and influence over our lives autonomy Constraint freedom Society individual The Society Individual Relationship Society made up of the social interactions between individuals Individuals are thus both the products constituents and producers constitutors of the society Marx s Dialectic Ontology As individuals we all have our choices You totally just gender dominated the shit out of our class with your stupid fucking picture of the 2 people and only labeled the penis Uhmm what about the female anatomy you fucking prick I hate youuuu and this classs The body is a natural entity and also a social entity The Active Body is NOT natural It s a physical and social construction o The active body is shaped by as it helps to shape the social context environment in which it is located The social Construction of Masculinity ray lewis vs david beckham vs the figure skater There are many different ways to be masculine The Social Construction of Identity Identities are constituted through power and language Identities are constituted in and through difference People choose identify with certain identity positions but the choice is often subconscious Intersectionality Traditional analyses of power relations examine identity by privileging on dimension Marx class women s studies gender queer studies sexuality African American Studies Race Intersectionality focuses on the relationships between different dimensions of identity of their impacts on social relations Serena Williams as a Gendered Individual Gender A Cultural Binary Reinforcing Femininity As serena wiliams and idk he clicked through the slide Performing Femininity YEAH that s EXACTLY what she s saying she s saying she s an object with that swimsuit picture whyyyyy are you such a PIG And a PRICK Serena Williams as a Class Individual Habitus socialized by our environments into certain preferences