Empire in Waves: A Political History of SurfingSurfing 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. |
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Aikau Alexander Hume Alexander Hume Ford American Amnesty International apartheid Archives athletes August Bali became boycott California Carroll century Classified Files coast Communist compete contest corporate Curren decades Dick Metz Duke Kahanamoku Durban early East Timor editor Elliss Encyclopedia of Surfing Endless Summer fact film Folder foreign Freeth Genocide Gunston haole Hawaii Hawaiian History of Surfing Hollister Honolulu human rights Ibid Indonesia Interview islands July Lagundri letter London Martin Potter Matt Warshaw military missionaries modern surf Nike noted OD/OWEO official organization Outrigger Canoe Outrigger Canoe Club Pacific Paradise pastime Peter Phil Jarratt political popular Press professional surfers Quiksilver racial regime Shaun Tomson South Africa South African surfers sport Suharto surf culture surfboard Surfer magazine surfing community Surfing World surfing's tion Tom Curren tourists Tracks Troy Uluwatu United University Vietnam visiting Waikiki world champion world tour wrote York young Zigzag