***We have now come to the point in the semester that I call "deadline season." As such, we will be dipping into the archives over the next few weeks to give me some additional time to work on... Continue Reading →
An Unexpected Find It is basically a truism to say that the Western public didn’t know very much about the Chinese martial arts in the 1920s. More interesting is the question of why. Given the global popularity of Judo and... Continue Reading →
Social media is rarely surprising. Its popularity derives from administering small doses of reassuring comfort, most of which suggests that the world is just as we had always imagined it. There is actually something a little perverse about... Continue Reading →
Introduction I recently noted that it is necessary to begin historical discussions by specifying whether we are examining events (or practices) as they actually happened, or the evolution of ideas about them. This is not to say that... Continue Reading →
Introduction While most of my own writing focuses on the Chinese martial arts, I tend to read rather widely. In part this is simply a reflection of my interests, and perhaps some sort of escapist urge to keep me... Continue Reading →
The History of Practice vs. The History of an Idea This post continues an occasional series looking at the ways in which the traditional Chinese martial arts were discussed in the PRC’s propaganda and cultural diplomacy efforts from roughly... Continue Reading →
The Source As part of my ongoing research on the role of the traditional martial arts within the creation of China’s public diplomacy strategy, I am reviewing several propaganda sources produced in the 1950s and 1960s. By... Continue Reading →
Dong Jhy and J. A. Mangan. 2018. “Japanese Cultural Imperialism in Taiwan: Judo as an Instrument of Colonial Conditioning.” in Mangan, Horton, Ren and Ok (eds.) Japanese Imperialism: Politics and Sport in East Asia – Rejection, Resentment and Revanchism.... Continue Reading →
An Unexpected Invitation A friend recently extended an invitation that I couldn’t refuse. A couple of weeks ago Chad Eisner (who some of you may remember from my various lightsaber projects) got in touch and let me know that... Continue Reading →
Kung Fu Tea 
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