An urban historical perspective : swimming a recreational and competitive pursuit 1840 to 1914

Abstract

Over the last three decades or more, there has been a considerable interest in the socio-historical analysis of sport. While a number of historians have examined the development of the major team games and commercial sports in the context of the changing nature of Victorian and Edwardian society, very few have considered the development of individual and more recreational sports, or located the transformation of sport to the process of urbanization. This thesis examines the relationship between growing urbanization and the transformation of swimming from a recreative activity, into an urban recreation and 'modern' competitive sport. Swimming as a recreation and as a competitive sport, developed as a reaction to and consequence of, both the positive and negative features of urbanization. The hypotheses that the greater the urbanization, the more developed and 'modern' sport became, will be supported with evidence from the sport of swimming.