5

This article aims to analyse how individual and territorial identities are made and fit together around a physical activity, through a case study on the developments of surfing in three localities on the east coast of Madagascar. The recent emergence of surfing in the Big Island allows investigation of the relationship between the body and the coastline induced by this new practice for the inhabitants. Hitherto, the strong beliefs around the ocean that would carry away and kill individuals have made it a repelling area. The current low level of coastline development in Madagascar is becoming a development issue seized by some local actors. As a study subject, surfing offers a way towards grasping the influence of a cultural model built elsewhere, the circulation of which depends on politics, economics and social issues. Its multiple (re) appropriations contribute to the shaping of this subject.