Colleen Mcgloin

Surfing Nation (S) Surfing Country (S): an Examination of Australian Surfing Culture's Connection to Nation and Indigenous Surfing's Conception of Nation. Colleen Mcgloin

Despite its historical connections to counterculturaland subcultural expression, surfing in Australia hasemerged as a cultural formation which contributes toand sustains dominant conceptions of nationalidentity. This claim is demonstrated through theinvestigation of a diverse range of texts. As a counterpoint to the congruence of mainstream surfing culture and whiteAustralian nationhood, this work draws from theculturally specific views of nation and country thatinform contemporary Indigenous surfing culture. Through the voices of Aboriginal people, nation(s), surfing, and the ocean are contextualised accordingto a culturally relevant frame of reference thatcontests dominant projections of nation at the levelof cultural production and cultural practice.