/images/gpg_top_graphic_pf2.jpg

Warrior Dreams
The Martial Arts and the American Imagination
By John J. Donohue

0-89789-346-8/978-0-89789-346-6

Description
This is an analysis of the martial arts as socio-cultural and symbolic phenomena. As Americans search for a sense of purpose, belonging, and structure in life, they have chosen an Asian cultural tradition and changed it to suit the needs of contemporary American society. A brief historical summary of the development of martial arts in Japan sets the scene for the reinterpretation of the role of these arts by American mass media. Donohue, an anthropologist with a black belt in karate, explores the important role that the martial arts play in the American psyche. As a means of developing personal power, self-defense systems are aesthetic and spiritual practices as well as statements of urban paranoia reacting against street violence and life-threatening situations. Martial arts organizations are seen as symbolic vehicles for enmeshing participants in constellations of actions and philosophies that create a sense of self and community.

Reviews:
-Based on evidence drawn from participatory-observation and secondary readings, Donohue argues that the myths, symbols, and organizations of the martial arts met various psychic needs and addressed basic human issues such as power, control, and identity. The martial arts offer through their symbols, historic traditions, and (inefficient) techniques of self-defense a sense of security and control, community, and a moral guide to action. Chapters include a cross-cultural analysis of martial systems, a brief history of Asian martial arts, an analysis of how the arts were adapted to fit US warrior myths, an anthropological study of the US Dojo, and an examination of US fascination with the mysterious (quasi-religious) masters. —Choice
Endorsement From Jesse Goodman, Associate Professor Indiana University
This book represents an example of the potential power imbedded in scholarship freed from the unimaginative and ritualistic stodginess of conventional research protocols. It clearly demonstrates the way in which this emerging scholarship can be both personal and intellectual, practical and conceptual. Although much of the book is situated within a feminist context, it should not be thought of as a volume just for women educators. As a man, I found it engaging and relevant to my own experiences as a teacher, scholar, parent, and student of education. Like the authors, its audience will be a diverse collection of individuals. I recommend it for preservice and inservice teachers, graduate students in education, sociology, and womens studies, school administrators, and academic researchers.
  • Name:
  • Organisation:
  • Address:
  • Postcode:
  • Country:
  • Tel:
  • Email:
  • Signature:
  • Date:
  • Cheque enclosed £ _________________________
    (make cheques payable to Harcourt Education)
  • Charge credit card:
  •   VISA Mastercard American Express
  •   Switch   Issue Number _________________________
  • Card Number:
  • Expiry Date:
ISBN Title £ Price Qty £ Total
0-89789-346-8 978-0-89789-346-6 Warrior Dreams £39.95    
Postage: Free to the UK trade. UK £3. Europe* £6. ROW* £10.
*Overseas by airmail, please request quotation for alternative such as courier.
Postage and Packing  
Total  
Post to: Marston Book Services Ltd
160 Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4SD, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1235 465500
Fax: +44 (0)1235 465555
E-mail: enquiries@marston.co.uk