Sport historiography of surfing and swimming

What is it about?

This is a review essay addressing new trends in water sport historiography focusing on recent studies in swimming and surfing.

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Why is it important?

The essay reviews four recent historical studies that illustrate how water sports histories the mainstream historiographic themes of race, gender and politics. The books discussed are: Lisa Bier's Fighting the Current: The Rise of American Women’s Swimming, Scott Laderman's Empire in Waves: A Political History of Surfing, and Isaiah Helekunihi Walker's Waves of Resistance: Surfing and History in Twentieth-Century Hawai‘i.