Ritual Violence in a Two-Car Garage by Scott Melzer

[** Serge **]

When the media first discovered the Gentlemen’s Fight Club, reporters, fighters, martial artists, academics, and others joined in laughter, scorn, and skepticism. What motivated these guys to take up arms and fight? To answer that question, I observed fights, participated in one afternoon of combat, and interviewed 13 GFC fighters on their own and three in a group setting. I found that these men fight to test their skills and toughness, to conquer their fears, and, in some cases, to restore a sense of masculinity and control they lost during experiences of boyhood emasculation.

http://contexts.org/articles/summer-2013/ritual-violence-in-a-two-car-garage/

Scott Melzer is in the anthropology and sociology department at Albion College. His research focuses on masculinity, violence, and social change.

Contexts is a quarterly magazine that makes cutting-edge social research accessible to general readers. We're the public face of sociology.

It is a publication of the American Sociological Association, edited by Jodi O’Brien (Seattle University) and Arlene Stein (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey).

Scott Melzer © 2013

[** Serge **]

Synchronicité :

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