Anthropologists, for one, have long been uncomfortable with the way in which the notion of ‘culture’ has been used in pernicious or problematic ways which can result in racism, essentialism, ‘othering’, exotification or simply a lack of precision. This discomfort is captured in James Clifford’s often quoted phrase in the introduction to The Predicament of…
Category: Swim Suits and Etiquette
The campaign for bodily autonomy and belonging in Grenoble France: resisting epistemic violence, media discourse and othering.
It has taken quite a long time, but I’m happy to say that the article written with Souad Boumechaal on the experience of a group of brave campaigners fighting for more inclusive swimwear regulations at municipal swimming pools in Grenoble, France has finally been published. I plan to update the research and literature pages of…
They did it! For now, at least.
On Monday 16 May, 2022 the Municipal Government of Grenoble, France voted to remove the restrictions on full-bodied swimsuits in local swimming pools. This vote was in part sparked by the long and tireless struggle by Citoyenne Alliance who ran a creative, resilient and imaginative campaign not helped by the attempts to reduce the debate…
Swimming Accessibility Protests in France: Alliance Citoyenne in Grenoble
In many places in the world, day-to-day survival takes precedent over all other activities and swimming is just another non-essential activity that gets very little thought. Yet, in places where swimming pools are abundant, the suggestion that swimming should be made available to all is not unreasonable. On the surface, France is one of those…
The Wonderful & Frightening World of Swimming Costumes
The rules and significance of swimming costumes are never straightforward. Even the terms ‘costumes’, ‘swimsuit’ and ‘bathing suit’ are in themselves peculiar. The blog image here is courtesy of Joe Stanhope from Jubilee Park swimming pool in Lincolnshire. Their ban on thongs drew substantial media attention and Joe mentioned to me that he had observed…
An Anthropology of Swimming 