ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the case study of a Aisha. In 2006, when Aisha was 10 years old, her father was killed in the Somali civil war. Using Aisha's learning and career development in elite boxing, this chapter presents the case study focuses on the implications boxing clothing—specifically competition uniforms—and cultural and religious beliefs have for Muslim women's participation in elite boxing. It discusses how Aisha, as a Somali woman, struggles to balance the different demands of the elite sport culture of boxing and the traditional cultural/religious beliefs associated with women and the female body in Somali culture. Aisha's struggle to adapt to boxing culture encompasses challenges connected to religious beliefs and social norms connected to perceptions of the female body in Somali culture. Aisha's early, middle, and career phases are characterized by her struggle to manage the expectations put upon her by boxing culture and by Somali culture and religious beliefs.
