The Center and the Periphery What is this “a case of?” That is the basic empirical question that underlays countless discussions in the social sciences. It is difficult to know what something means, what puzzles or challenges its presence... Continue Reading →
Given that it is a holiday weekend, I will be keeping this research note brief. Still, the subject matter is quite interesting. China’s Republic era dadao, or big knives, generate a good deal of interest among both historians and... Continue Reading →
Wonder Woman with a Dadao In China the realm of social violence, and the martial arts in particular, has been male dominated. That does not mean that women never became a part of such activities. After all, they... Continue Reading →
Introduction The martial arts can speak to a number of important questions, but perhaps to none as directly as popular attitudes towards violence. Much of my recent research has looked at what the organization of martial arts groups... Continue Reading →
Through a Lens Darkly In this occasional series I turn to photographs, postcards, slides or other forms of ephemera both as a source of information about the Chinese martial arts and as a witness to the many... Continue Reading →
The Album Recently I had the good fortune to come across a photograph of a Chinese dadao (big knife) that dates to the late 1930s. Images such as these were sometimes collected by Japanese soldiers in occupied... Continue Reading →
Introduction Conflict seems to inspire trophy hunting. In the west this often takes the form of fading photographs of someone’s grandfather holding a vintage Luger. A large number of katanas also made their way back to the United States... Continue Reading →
***One of the questions that I have been attempting to tackle in my more recent writing is the degree to which we should be thinking about the "traditional" Chinese martial arts as a quintessentially modern activity. From the perspective... Continue Reading →
Introduction No topic within the study of the modern martial arts is more burdened with nationalist myths and legends than military fencing. By the middle of the 20th century blades were supposed to have become obsolete on the battlefield. Yet... Continue Reading →
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