From Survival to Thriving: Navigating Intersectional Identity and Community in Diasporic Women’s Sport Clubs

This study explores the experiences of diasporic women participating in recreational sport clubs in the United States, focusing on Korean women’s soccer clubs. Through employing intersectionality and Community Cultural Wealth frameworks, we examine how these grassroots clubs foster cultural resources and assets for diasporic women whose intersectional identities create unique barriers and opportunities for sport participation. Ethnography was used to collect diverse types of data including interviews, observations, and field notes. The findings highlight that participation in these clubs provided a sense of belonging, and offered social support and sport spaces tailored to the needs of diasporic women, interpreted as the development of linguistic, aspirational, social, navigational, and resistant capital. We propose the merit of combining Community Cultural Wealth and intersectionality in the investigation of sport experiences and offer implications for supporting diasporic women’s sport clubs through community partnerships and resources.