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Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

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Martial Studies

Martial Arts Studies Vol. 13 is Now Out!

We are excited to announce that the latest issue of the interdisciplinary journal Martial Arts Studies (an imprint of Cardiff University Press) is now out. As always, it brings high level scholarly research within the field of Martial Arts Studies... Continue Reading →

50 Years After Bruce Lee: Asian Martial Arts On-Screen and Off

Call for Papers for our 8th Annual Conference! 50 Years After Bruce Lee: Asian Martial Arts On-Screen and Off 19-21 July 2023, University of Sheffield (UK)   On the 50th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s untimely death, our 2023 conference will... Continue Reading →

Where Martial Arts and Religion Meet: A Special Issue from Martial Arts Studies

The "Three Prayers to Buddha" section seen in the Wing Chun set Sui Lim Tao. While many modern interpretations of this art coming out of the Ip Man lineage are essentially secular in nature, the Chinese martial arts remain replete... Continue Reading →

THE POLITICS OF AN OLYMPIC MEDAL

Sajad Ganjzadeh of Iran, left, is injured while competing against Tareg Hamedi of Saudi Arabia. Introduction We are very pleased to host the following essay on Karate's appearance in the Tokyo Olympics by Prof. Stephen Chan. This is an important... Continue Reading →

Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Lightsaber: Fetishism and Material Culture in Martial Arts Studies

“The lightsaber has become an important touchstone, both within the films and within our culture…They serve as a source of identification and identity.  They are the ultimate commodity: a nonexistent object whose replicas sell for hundreds of dollars.  This is... Continue Reading →

Chinese Weapons and the Western Gaze

A Collection of Chinese Arms, Published in 1905, posted by Peter Dekker. Spring Cleaning I sat down this morning to work on a project looking at sword aficionados in China, their customers in the West, and how the relationship between... Continue Reading →

Towards a Political Hoplology: Violence and the Construction of Identity in Krav Maga

Andrea Molle. 2021. Krav Maga and the Making of Modern Israel: For Zion’s Sake. Rowman & Littlefield. 2022. $105 Hardcover, $38 Kindle. “There is also another function of violence, and it is to reduce uncertainty through promoting solidarity among individuals.  I call this... Continue Reading →

Through a Lens Darkly (67): Winter Training in Japanese Martial Arts

Group 1. Yonezawa Industrial School's Midwinter Training General Meeting. Winter Training In the "before times" some readers will remember that I ran a lightsaber combat club in Ithaca. To say that it was a lot of fun would be an... Continue Reading →

Berlin 1936: Chinese Martial Arts on a Global Stage

Introduction The Olympics are once again being hosted by China and the eyes of the world are on Beijing.  Martial arts don't really play any role in the Winter Games, but there seems to be more political discussion surrounding this... Continue Reading →

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