Introduction: (De)Constructing Martial Arts (Studies)

The introduction to Deconstructing Martial Arts sets out the core questions to be engaged in the monograph, introduces both the range of aspects to be covered, and the key analytical approach (deconstruction) that is deployed throughout. It argues that martial arts are always complex discursive constructs, and that it is because they are always constructed that they can be deconstructed. It introduces the kinds of insights that deconstruction can offer – insights that are not only philosophical or ontological but also ethical, with political and ideological implications for martial arts discourse, practice and orientations. In the process, the introduction gives an overview of the development of martial arts studies as an academic field and situates the key emergent research questions and problematics.