Surfing has emerged from ancient roots to become a twenty-first century phenomenon - an "alternative" sport, lifestyle and art form now with a global profile and ever-increasing numbers of participants. Drawing on popular surf culture, academic literature and the analytical tools of social theory, this book is the first sustained commentary on the contemporary social and cultural meaning of surfing.

Core themes of mind and body, emotions and identity, aesthetics, style and sensory experience are explored through a variety of topics, including:

* evolving perceptions of the sea and the beach
* the narrative of surfing history, media and photography
* the globalization of surfing
* surfing as a subculture and lifestyle
* the embodiment and gendering of surfing
* the lived experience of surfing

Surfing and Social Theory provides students and researchers in sport, sociology, culture and geography with a new perspective, and a new research agenda.