Ethnography in martial arts studies

Abstract

Martial art studies is an interdisciplinary, international field in which ethnography plays a pivotal role. Since the 1970s, ethnographies of martial arts collectives have steadily developed in accordance with advancements of ethnography itself, including rich description and theoretical trends. Besides contributions from other studies and disciplines, there are clear contributions from anthropology and sociology, including numerous monographs and special collections. Contemporary sociological ethnographies tend to centre on habitus and embodiment while analysing gender, violence, and pain. Meanwhile, in anthropology, martial arts ethnographies have examined magic, ritual, and religion in the native fighting systems across the world. In recent years, ethnographers have taken a more reflexive, first-person approach and have experimented with sensuous scholarship as well as autoethnographic and autophenomenological approaches. Virtual and “messy” ethnographies are ...