Women, Football and Social Change in Saudi Arabia - (Gender and Islam) by Charlotte Lysa (Hardcover)

About the Book

The first book to cover women's football in Saudi Arabia based on empirical research.

Book Synopsis

Until 2018, women in Saudi Arabia did not have access to football stadiums, and before 2020 there was no official women's teams. On the face of it there were no women in football until top-driven policy reform suddenly turned the situation upside down. But the story of women's football unfolding away from these headlines is a completely different one. This book traces the emergence of women's football in Saudi Arabia from the infancy of grassroots women's team in 2005 to the launch of the first official, state-sponsored, competitions in 2020 - a period Saudi Arabia was going through rapid change. This book is thus both a history of women's football in Saudi Arabia and a study of and social change, and the role of grassroot actors in times of transformation.

The research in this work is based on fieldwork in Riyadh, interviews with players and pioneers of women's football in Saudi Arabia, and analysis of social and traditional media and other available documents. In tracing the developments of women's football in Saudi Arabia, Charlotte Lysa offers a ground-breaking social history of contemporary Saudi society and a narrative of change: change within football, change in women's roles, and change in the structures of society.

Review Quotes

"An enjoyable and accessible read for anyone interested in understanding the intersection of football and women's roles in a rapidly evolving Saudi society. The book delves into the multidimensional narratives and dynamics shaping the meanings surrounding women and football in Saudi Arabia, moving beyond a simplistic, linear outsider perspective on the topic." --Mahfoud Amara, Associate Professor in Sport Management & Social Sciences, College of Education, Qatar University, Qatar

"Lysa has written a fascinating and timely account of women's football in Saudi Arabia, masterfully exploring the interplay between top-down change, external politics and the grassroots game. With remarkable ethnographic detail and theoretical sophistication, Lysa reveals how female players navigated complex social, political and religious norms while creating spaces for athletic expression and community building. An invaluable contribution to our understanding of gender, sports, and social transformation in the Gulf and wider Middle East." --Marc Owen Jones, Associate Professor, Northwestern University in Qatar, Qatar

"In this timely and important study, Charlotte Lysa breaks new ground in focusing on the ways in which women's football has developed in Saudi Arabia, drawing attention to the pioneers of change and the practical and political challenges that stood in their way." --Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow, RICE University, USA

"Through ten years of research and extraordinary access to players, coaches, and activists, Women, Football and Social Change in Saudi Arabia tells the story of women who dared to play-and in doing so, changed Saudi Arabia. Blending personal stories with sharp analysis, this groundbreaking book captures the struggles behind the rise of women's football in the kingdom." --Tamir Sorek, Professor, University of Florida, USA

About the Author

Charlotte Lysa is a Research Fellow at the Department of Culture, Religion, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oslo, Norway. Her work has appeared in the journals Middle East Critique, Journal of Arabian Studies, Third World Quarterly and Soccer and Society. She holds a PhD in Middle East Studies from the University of Oslo, Norway.