Against the Tide: New Work on Australasian Aquatic Cultures

Research on Australasian aquatic cultures has been driven by the widespread popularity of activities such as surfing, boating and swimming. However, the focus of academic scrutiny during the last two decades has largely been directed towards investigations of surfing and surf lifesaving in particular, and beach culture more generally. In this paper, the current research paradigm within which swimming research in Australia and New Zealand operates is described and discussed. It is concluded that aquatic cultures are much broader and more diverse than existing trends in literature would indicate.