Fenomenologia di una passione-Nardini, D. (2022) Surfers Paradise. Un’etnografia del surf sulla Gold Coast australiana. Milano: Ledizioni

Abstract

Surfers Paradise presents the findings of an anthropological inquiry into surfing culture. Through participant observation and interviews, Dario Nardini focuses on the collective fascination with surfing in the Australian Gold Coast, dissecting its historical, relational, symbolic, institutional, and sensorial dimensions, as well as its influence on national identity. This paper discusses Nardini’s ethnography as a brilliant “phenomenology of a passion” example. Integrating consolidated debates in social sciences, such as embodiment, the sociology of consumption, the anthropological study of people’s heritage, the anthropology of leisure and games, and the lifestyle studies, the book outlines the complex meaning of surfing in Australia. Above everything, the ethnographic approach provides a powerful lens to investigate sports and physical cultural practices, by examining the body-environment-society interconnections.