Coming Soon: Mythologies of Martial Arts

I am delighted to announce that I have signed a book contract with Rowman & Littlefield International for a new monograph entitled Mythologies of Martial Arts. This will appear within the Martial Arts Studies Book Series.

The book is inspired by Roland Barthes' 1957 classic of cultural analysis, Mythologies. It tries to bring the energy and orientation of Barthes' book into the field of martial arts studies.

I have already finished the book, it has been subject to the scrutiny of three peer reviewers, and I am going to submit the final manuscript to the publishers just as soon as I finish typing this…!

Here is the table of contents:

Introduction

• What is this book about and who is it for?
• Fundamental Propositions and Defining Problematics
• Overview

Chapter One: Wrestling Myth

Chapter Two: Martial Arts in the West: From the Kung Fu Craze to Master Ken

• Martial Arts Madness: a Laughing Matter
• Approaching Martial Arts
• Comedy and Conjuncture
• Mediation
• Enter the Conclusion

Chapter Three: Cross-Cultural Desire in Western Eastern Martial Arts

• After Orientalism
• The Dream of a Decision
• The Real Thing
• Cultural Desire
• The end of the affair
• Cross Culture?

Chapter Four: The Circulation of Qi (in Media and Culture)

Chapter Five: Myths of Martial Arts History, Authority and Authenticity

• Introduction: Myths of History in Martial Arts
• 'The next blow to authentic, traditional martial arts…'
• History and Tradition in Theory and Practice
• Self and Orient
• Performativity

Chapter Six: On Kicking, Kung Fu, and Knowing Your Lineage

• A Tale of Two Kickings
• Kung Fu
• Lineage Matters

Chapter Seven: Enter the Ethnicity

• What Followed
• Questioning Lee
• Or What
• Wong Jack Man versus Bruce Lee Mythology

Chapter Eight: The Gender of Martial Arts Studies

• Trigger Warning
• Introduction: Defining (and) Paradigms before Gender
• Engendering Martial Arts Studies 

Chapter Nine: Everybody was Action Film Fighting

• Introduction: Fighting Film Studies
• Why Bruce Lee?
• Why not Jackie Chan?
• Chuck Norris – if you're tough enough
• Everybody Was Action Film Fighting
• Martial Arts in Visibility

Chapter Ten: From Weird to Wonderful and Back Again

• Grappling with Groundfighting
• Close Range Fighting Elbows its way in
• On Weapons

Chapter Eleven: Martial Arts Myth Today

Works Cited

Index