Dr Mari Haugaa Engh is a transdisciplinary gender scholar with a special interest in sport and physical activity, migration and transnationalism, and postcolonial and African feminist theory.
She has taken part in several research projects on sport and development, equality and inclusion in football, international sports labour migration, and religion and migration.
She currently works on questions related to whiteness, race and gender diversity in Norwegian sports, racialisation and sex/gender testing in international elite sports, and gender and sexuality in African women’s football.
Dr. Mari Engh says: “Conservative gender ideologies continue to shape how athletes are received, represented and expected to represent their nations, communities, and genders. We know homophobia and gender bias exist in South African sports, but we know nearly nothing about how this is felt by gender-diverse athletes. It would probably be safe to assume that the sporting environment in South Africa is neither welcoming nor affirming – much like in the rest of the world, where hostility towards gender diverse athletes has increased in the past 10 years.
“Sport is being weaponised by the gender-conservatives in alt-right movements. These groups tend to simplify complex biological realities, churning out catchy headlines and catchphrases that are picked up in popular media and culture.
“As a scientist I know that gender is complex. It is a socio-biological phenomenon that is not always binary, and is by no means stable across time, space or culture. But that isn’t a media-friendly soundbite. This is why I am worried about the appeal of the gender-conservative movement, and hope that South African sporting federations will step up to bust the myths they are spreading.”
