Empire in Waves: A Political History of Surfing
- ISBN-10
- 0520279115
- ISBN-13
- 9780520279117
- Category
- History
- Pages
- 256
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2014-03-03
- Publisher
- University of California Press
- Author
- Scott Laderman
Description
Surfing today evokes many things: thundering waves, warm beaches, bikinis and lifeguards, and carefree pleasure. But is the story of surfing really as simple as popular culture suggests? In this first international political history of the sport, Scott Laderman shows that while wave riding is indeed capable of stimulating tremendous pleasure, its globalization went hand in hand with the blood and repression of the long twentieth century. Emerging as an imperial instrument in post-annexation Hawaii, spawning a form of tourism that conquered the littoral Third World, tracing the struggle against South African apartheid, and employed as a diplomatic weapon in America's Cold War arsenal, the saga of modern surfing is only partially captured by Gidget, the Beach Boys, and the film Blue Crush. From nineteenth-century American empire-building in the Pacific to the low-wage labor of the surf industry today, Laderman argues that surfing in fact closely mirrored American foreign relations. Yet despite its less-than-golden past, the sport continues to captivate people worldwide. Whether in El Salvador or Indonesia or points between, the modern history of this cherished pastime is hardly an uncomplicated story of beachside bliss. Sometimes messy, occasionally contentious, but never dull, surfing offers us a whole new way of viewing our globalized world.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2014-03-03
- 256 pages
- Paperback
- Univ of California Press
Similar books
-
Waves Across the South: A New History of Revolution and Empire
By Sujit Sivasundaram115 Dutton's story draws considerably upon Russell, Roving Mariners, 111ff. For Dutton as pioneer, see J. G. Wiltshire, Captain William Pelham Dutton: First Settler at Portland Bay, Victoria: A History of the Whaling and Sealing ...
-
Empire of the Waves: Voyage of the Moon Child
By Christopher RichardsonIt was a message to the Tidechild from the Pool of Fire in the Deep. Just five words ... We are waiting for you. From an exciting new voice comes the first book in a thrilling series - an epic seafaring quest for truth and freedom.
-
Surfing the South: The Search for Waves and the People Who Ride Them
By Steve EstesWhat few know is that the South has its own surf culture. To fully explore this unsung surfing world, Steve Estes undertook a journey that stretched more than 2,300 miles, traveling from the coast of Texas to Ocean City, Maryland.
-
Waves of War: Nationalism, State Formation, and Ethnic Exclusion in the Modern World
By Andreas Wimmer"Why did the nation-state emerge and proliferate across the globe? How is this process related to the wars fought in the modern era? This book offers a new perspective on these issues.
-
Making Waves: Politics, Propaganda, and the Emergence of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1868-1922
By J. SchenckingThis book explores the political emergence of the Imperial Japanese Navy between 1868 and 1922.
-
To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World
By Arthur HermanThis P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
-
The Critical Surf Studies Reader
By Dexter Zavalza Hough-Snee, Alexander Sotelo EastmanRefocusing the history and culture of surfing, this volume pays particular attention to reclaiming the roles that women, indigenous peoples, and people of color have played in surfing. Contributors.
-
Waves of Democracy: Social Movements and Political Change
By John MarkoffWaves of Democracy looks at two centuries of history of democratization as a series of multicontinental episodes in which social movements and elite power holders in many countries converged to reorganize political systems.
-
Language, Time, and Identity in Woolf's The Waves: The Subject in Empire's Shadow
By Michael WeinmanThis book differs from other approaches to Woolf as a modernist dramatist of modernity; while others highlight the historically contingent features of Woolf's dramatic interpretation of her times, Michael Weinman detects the emergence of an ...
-
The Kingdom Beyond the Waves
By Stephen HuntSmike sucked on his mumbleweed pipe. 'Old fellow, there's nothing down there but the paupers' graveyard.' 'Yes, I believe an old friend of mine is resting there.' 'Hang on, grandfather, do you know what hour it is?