Events

Home

News + Media

Research + Publications

Meet Our Team

A talk by Andrea Buchetti, Ph.D. (University of Padua)

Thursday, December 4, 2025
4-6 p.m.
in Storm Hall 205

Reception with Italian refreshments to follow

Borderlands are diffuse cultural matrices through which power, desire, and social creativity are negotiated daily. I articulate this perspective by building on my fieldwork on skateboarding at the U.S.-Mexico border in dialogue with the contemporary anthropology of sports and popular cultures.

Sponsored by the Departments of Chicana and Chicano Studies and Sociology, the Center for Latin American Studies, and Comparative International Studies (Italian Program), the Center for Skateboarding, Action Sports, and Social Change, the Surf and Skate Studies Collaborative, and the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences (MALAS) Program.

The Stoke Sessions 2.0: A Conference on the Culture, History, Science and Politics of Surfing and Skateboarding

October 9-12, 2025

Join the San Diego State University Stoke Sessions 2.0 Conference, bringing together scholars from all backgrounds and disciplines – humanities, social and natural sciences, cultural studies, ethnic studies, Indigenous studies, sports studies, and more in a comprehensive examination of surfing and skateboarding.

Thursday, Oct. 9 | 6:30 P.M. | Keynotes
SDSU Conrad Prebys Aztec
Student Union Theatre

Steve Van Doren | Vans
V.P. Of Marketing and Events

Bryce Wettstein
American 2x Olympian Skateboarder

Oct. 10-11 | Papahe’enalu Shaping Demonstration

Tula Community Center
Tom Pōhaku Stone
Kanalu (38), Hawaiian Boarding Co.
Shaper, Cultural Icon and Historian

Free & Open to the Public

Womxn in Skateboarding: Tales of the Times

Thursday, March 27, 2025
5- 7 p.m.
@Love Library 430-431

Skate Session
@ArtsRec in Barrio Logan
8 p.m.

Panelists: Paige Belinte, Dl'orr Greenwood, Amelia Brodka, Natalie Porter, Rosie Archie, andAdrianne Sloboh

Watch this video short from the panel.

Finding Strength Through Adversity

Thursday, March 6, 2025
12-2 p.m.
Scripps Cottage

Keynote Speaker Joe Buffalo presents as part of the Native & Indigenous Research & Arts Symposium.

As a pillar of strength and perseverance, Joe is an inspirational pro skater, actor, public speaker, and advocate on Indigenous health.

SDSU Leadership Summit Conference

Saturday, March 9, 2024
9 a.m. - 4 p.m .
Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union

This year's conference will revolve around the theme of "Leadership in Motion," capturing the essence of progress and adaptability in leadership. Much like the fluid movements in motion, leadership evolves, embraces change, and navigates through diverse terrains. It's about steering through challenges, pivoting swiftly, and carving unique paths.

From Sports Diplomacy to Sportswashing: Navigating Political Possibilities in Global Sports

Thursday, February 22, 2024
5-6:30 p.m.
University of Texas at Austin, Moody College of Communication

In the McGarr Symposium on Sports and Society, five leading scholars examine the possibilities and limits of using sports as a political tool. The conversation will address global mega-events, diplomacy and soft power, development, sportswashing, activism, and more.

Panelists:

Dr. Jules Boykoff, Pacific University
Amira Rose Davis, UT-Austin
Dr. Tommy Hunt, UT-Austin
Dr. Lindsay Krasnoff, France and US
Dr. Neftalie Williams, San Diego State University

View photos from the event. | Watch the video.

Perpetual Motion: Connecting Skateboarding & Action Sports Culture to Public Diplomacy

Thursday, November 9, 2023
9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Utah Cultural Celebration Center - West Valley City

Keynote for the the Ambassador John Price & Marcia Price World Affairs Symposium on Sports Diplomacy: Leveling the Socioeconomic Playing Field. Sponsored by Utah Global Diplomacy, the symposium your gateway to exploring the multifaceted universe of sports diplomacy.

The Stoke Sessions: An International Conference on the Culture, History and Politics of Surfing and Skateboarding

April 20-23, 2023

Our conference aims to bring together scholars from all backgrounds and disciplines – humanities, social and natural sciences, cultural studies, ethnic studies, Indigenous studies, sports studies, etc. in a comprehensive examination of surfing and skateboarding. The Stoke Sessions, featuring keynote speakers Tony and Steve Hawk, Dian Hadiani, and Selema Masekela, is the second international conference organized and hosted by San Diego State University’s Surf and Skate Studies Collaborative.

Learn more about the conference.

Connect with Us

Neftalie Williams, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Skateboarding, Action Sports, and Social Change
Email: [email protected]
Center Office: Nasatir Hall (NH) 210