Publisher's Synopsis
For centuries, new sailors from European and North American countries have been subjected to an elaborate hazing at sea called "crossing the line." Typically initiated upon a crossing of the equator, the beatings, dunkings, sexual play, and drinking displays that constitute crossing the line have in recent decades been banned by some fleets- but they have also been the subject of staunch defenses and fond reminiscences. Crossing the Line studies the purpose and the changing meaning of the ceremony, substantially revising long-held assumptions.
