Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Anthropology
Reader 1
Lara Deeb
Reader 2
Gabriela Morales
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
On the shores of Lake Superior, many residents of Duluth engage in cold water immersion, or as many call it, "dipping." Through the lenses of embodied experience, magical language and modes of storytelling, and communal intimacy, dipping emerges as a uniquely bonding practice. Dippers cite cold water immersion as an immune-boosting ritual, drawing on biomedical and non-biomedical conceptions of health. Immersion in cold water, especially in nature, requires a strong sense of communal trust. By deliberately encountering danger in their day to day lives, dippers' relationships with each other and with the lake often deepen over time, hinging on the mystical and magical. Lake Superior's social significance, especially to the local indigenous population, is one of power, pain, and pleasure.
Recommended Citation
Louden, Clara R., "Cold Water Immersion: communal intimacy and embodied wellness" (2025). Scripps Senior Theses. 2622.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/2622
