For 2024, our conference is returning to its roots with an open theme at Cardiff University! We are welcoming proposals for 20-minute papers (or 3-paper panels) on any topic relevant to the interdisciplinary field of martial arts studies. Come, present your work and meet other scholars from the community. The deadline to submit a proposal is February 1, 2024. The conference dates are June 4th through the 6th at Cardiff University. To submit an abstract, follow the guidelines for submission and submit here. To give your proposal the best chance of being accepted, please ens ..read more

We are delighted to announce the publication of issue 14 of Martial Arts Studies! In addition, we are very happy to let you know that Martial Arts Studies has recently been accepted by Scopus for indexing, which will give the journal a boost in visibility. This is an important development and something that we have all been looking forward to for years. For one reason or another it was never the right moment to have the journal indexed in the past, but its welcome development whose time has come. There is no doubt that this will aid the further development of our field. A ..read more

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 to anyone with an internet connection. Just click this link to get started. What can you find in our latest issue? Something for practically everyone. Head on over and check it out ..read more

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 be structured by two overarching questions: What is the current status of Asian martial arts in the world? What are the key debates and issues facing Martial Arts Studies today? The conference will have three pathways of concurrent parallel sessions, each engaging with a specific theme for the duration of the conference:   Theme 1. Studies of Bruc ..read more

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 with religious imagery and references. Hot Off the Press! I am happy to announce that the journal Martial Arts Studies has just released a new special issue focusing on the always popular topic of martial arts, religion and spirituality. The guest editors for this project are Gabriel Facal (Southeast Asia Centre, CASE, Paris) and Laurent Chirop-Reyes (French Centre f ..read more

Mysteries In a post reviewing the portrayal of weaponry in Han Dynasty mortuary art I confessed that I really, really, want to assemble a recreation of the sorts of long, horizontal, weapons racks that you see in some of these panels.  While undeniably cool, doing so would be a challenge for even the most diehard Chinese martial arts nerd.  To begin with, who has that much wall-space?  Sword racks takes up enough room.  Yet most of these images focused on large collections of period polearms (typically shown in matched sets) with just a smattering of sw ..read more

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 topic, particularly to readers who follow the debates surrounding the inclusion and exclusion of certain sports from the games. Yet his discussion transcends the more common narrative of nationally bounded scorekeeping and instead asks what other sorts of work Karate’s Olympic moment accomplished. Prof. Chan is a founding figure within the Martial Arts ..read more

The JQ Pilgrim with black grips. Source: jqsabers.com “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 not bad for something that defies the laws of physics and cannot and does not exist.  And, in conclusion, if I am honest. I must admit that I still want one.” Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr. 2007. “’Your Father’s Lightsaber’ The Fetishization of Objects Between the Trilogies.” i ..read more

I know that everyone is looking forward to the upcoming Martial Arts Studies conference in Switzerland this summer, but it never too soon to start thinking about that next paper, chapter or plane ticket. This looks like it will be great! If you have questions be sure to reach out to Paul or Wayne. 50 Years After Bruce Lee: Asian Martial Arts on Screen and Off 19-21 July 2023, University of Sheffield (UK) In the half-century since Bruce Lee, what has been the story, status and significance of Asian martial arts? Bruce Lee was pivotal in making Asian martial arts into a global phenomenon, both ..read more

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 the two creates both spaces for innovation in Chinese martial arts and as well as political arguments about the proper relationship between martial artists, society, and the state. This exchange is mediated by powerful economic market forces and Western perceptions of China (e.g., those forces that we have been calling “globalization” for the last several decades ..read more