Author Description
'Risk, Failure, Play' takes readers through the politics of everyday life as experienced through fight sport training. It intertwines personal experience and scholarly research, producing reflections on pleasure, mastery, vulnerability, pain, and identity. Janet O'Shea. Previously issued in print: 2018. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the intersection of martial arts and dance to understand how physical training shapes human identity and social interaction. Janet O'Shea, a scholar of performance studies, utilizes her background in both dance and fight sports to construct a framework that views physical practice as a site of political and personal negotiation. By synthesizing ethnographic observation with theoretical analysis, she argues that the concepts of risk, failure, and play are central to mastering the body and navigating the complexities of everyday life.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the somatic experiences inherent in fight sports and dance.
- Theoretical frameworks regarding vulnerability, pain, and mastery.
- Ethnographic accounts of training environments and practitioner identities.
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a technical manual or instructional guide for specific martial arts techniques.
- It does not offer a comprehensive history of either dance or martial arts as distinct disciplines.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars in performance studies and anthropology frequently cite this work for its unique interdisciplinary approach to physical culture. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which balances rigorous research with reflective, personal narrative.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1900-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
0190871571
ISBN-13:
9780190871574
Non-Fiction
Sports Science
Dance
Sociology
Martial Arts