George Jennings
My research is focused upon the qualitative sociological study of traditional body cultures. My current specific research interests are the ethnographic exploration of traditional martial arts cultures alongside pre-Hispanic sports, folkloric games and regional physical acitivities currently practised in Mexico.
My PhD study looked at the experiences of practitioners of various Chinese martial arts in the UK. Later, as an independent research and docente-investigador at the Universidad YMCA, Mexico, I researched into Xilam, a modern Mexican martial art based on Pre-Hispanic philosophy, traditions and body cultures.
I am currently pursuing a critical health pedagogy of martial arts through a variety of social and cultural theories, academic disciplines and methods. With Aimee Grant and Maria Pournara of Cardiff University, I am co-founder of the emerging Documents Research Network (DRN).
My PhD study looked at the experiences of practitioners of various Chinese martial arts in the UK. Later, as an independent research and docente-investigador at the Universidad YMCA, Mexico, I researched into Xilam, a modern Mexican martial art based on Pre-Hispanic philosophy, traditions and body cultures.
I am currently pursuing a critical health pedagogy of martial arts through a variety of social and cultural theories, academic disciplines and methods. With Aimee Grant and Maria Pournara of Cardiff University, I am co-founder of the emerging Documents Research Network (DRN).
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Papers by George Jennings
Keywords: Self-cultivation; human development; relational sociology; ethnography; theory.
Recorded presentation available at: Martial arts, as with other practices such as qigong and meditation, are sometimes considered as ways towards self-cultivation and the development of character and personality. Theories such as that of Yasuo Yuasa (1987, 1993) demonstrate the integration of mind and body and the eventual development of one’s character through such disciplines. However, in martial arts pedagogies and associations, this human development is rarely a solitary activity, but in fact an interpersonal and almost entirely relational one. In this presentation, I draw on ethnographic fieldwork and various other studies of Chinese, European and Mexican martial arts systems to demonstrate how cultivation is shared between teacher and students, fellow classmates, seniors and juniors, martial arts lineages and from ancestors to future exponents of an art. I pay attention to the established cases of Chinese Kung Fu and Taijiquan, along with the recently invented Mexican Xilam and the revivalist movement of historical European martial arts (HEMA) to demonstrate the variety of cultures pedagogies and philosophies that can all be understood through the expanded theory of shared cultivation (Jennings, 2010). By taking a relational sociological perspective advocated by Nick Crossley (2012), I stress the key element of human relationships and the contact relation of oneself and the formation of oneself through other people in the past, present and future.
Keywords: Self-cultivation; human development; relational sociology; ethnography; theory.
Recorded video available at:
https://vimeo.com/365466454
Keywords: Pragmatism; art; science; the body; movement culture.
Keywords: Social theory; postcolonial sociology; global sociology; Southern Theory; martial arts.
Keywords: Collective identity; metaphor; social theory; martial arts; Chinese culture.
Keywords: health; wellbeing; injury; critical pedagogy; martial arts and combat sports.
Out of the Labyrinth: The Recently Invented Mexican Martial Arts Riding the Wave of Mexicanidad
George Jennings
Sociology and Philosophy Research Group, Cardiff School of Sport
Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK
Email: [email protected]
In the celebrated essays of Octavio Paz, The Labyrinth of Solitude (1969), the unique identity of Mexico remained uncertain and dubious: a resistance of the native “Indian” Mexico, the colonial era and the long road to modernity. In the last decades of the twentieth century, however, various veteran martial artists and visionaries developed different fighting and human development systems across the nation as a response to the lack of warrior traditions and martial identity in the country. These forms of combat include Xilam, a traditionalist approach to martial arts inspired by ancient Mesoamerican culture and warrior philosophies, and SUCEM, a form of full-contact mixed martial arts that includes armed combat in a ring or octagon with or without adapted, pre-Hispanic style weaponry of shields and clubs. There are others, such as Pok-at-Tok and Tae Lama which overtly acknowledge the use of Asian martial arts techniques, but with an indigenous Mexican “flavour” through the grading system and native language terminology. Despite their geographical, technical and cultural origins, all of these arts provide a new way of looking at Mexican national identity following a long period of foreign influence and subordination during the colonial and post-colonial period. As part of an emergent indigenista movement commonly referred to as Mexicanidad (“Mexicanness”), the social and political strive towards national pride and a revival of Mesoamerican civilisation and grandeur. This social movement includes the resurgence of ancient games and dances along with the development of the holistic, native and pre-Hispanic industries, all of which give Mexico a unique sense of self to present to the world: To no longer struggle in seeming solitude, but to contribute to global physical culture and martial arts. This paper seeks to highlight the case of these new martial arts and what they can tell us about Mexico’s past, present and potential future.
Keywords: Mexican martial arts; Mexicanidad; cultural studies; invention of tradition; social anthropology.
Video available at: https://youtu.be/SL16MFbksDM
Allen-Collinson, J., Vaittinen, A., Jennings, G. and Owton, H. (2017) The heat of the action: novel insights from auto/ethnographic research on physical cultures, Twelfth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, International Conference Centre, Hiroshima, Japan, July 26-28.
George Jennings
Cardiff School of Sport
Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK
This paper forms part of a wide call for a global sociology to tackle social processes, themes and issues from outside Europe and to employ and to enrich the theories from the Global South. It seeks to make the seemingly exotic (the recently created Mexican martial arts) somewhat familiar through a discourse analysis of Facebook shares on the official sites of the two particular cases of SUCEM (a combat sport) and Xilam (a traditionalist martial art). This is an attempt at a sociological axiology of particular martial arts through the examination of what values are upheld, critiqued or ignored within and across social groups and individuals. Through a postcolonial framework, I argue that these associations, like many others pertaining to the national movement of Mexicanidad (“Mexicanness), call for the rejection of colonial values instilled under the dominant Spanish, Roman Catholic paradigm, and the simultaneous call for a return to the past via pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican values being reinstated. My analysis identifies three steps in which this utopian viewpoint is promoted: 1) Through the spreading of the “Aztec” Nahuatl language in its logical and scientific form (systematic communication); 2) Via the “Mexica” (or Mexhika) religion as opposed to the monolithic Christianity (symbiotic, non-dualistic thinking) and, 3) vis-a-vis investigation of pre-Colombian achievements and glory that are contrasted to the seemingly chaotic modern nation (structured action).
Keywords: Discourse analysis; Facebook; global sociology; postcolonial theory; values.
Ancient Wisdom, Modern Warriors: The (Re)Invention of a Mesoamerican Warrior Tradition in Xilam
George Jennings [1]
[1] Universidad YMCA, Mexico City, Mexico
ABSTRACT
Xilam is a modern Mexican martial art that is inspired by pre-Hispanic warrior cultures of ancient Mesoamerica, namely the Aztecs (Mexica), Maya and Zapotec cultures. It provides a noteworthy case study of a Latin American fighting system that has been recently invented, but aspires to rescue, rediscover and relive the warrior philosophies that existed before the Spanish Conquest and subsequent movements beginning in 1521. Using the thought-provoking work of anthropologist Guillermo Bonfil Batalla, México Profundo, I aim to analyse the Xilam Martial Arts Association through the way that they represent themselves in their three main media outlets: The official webpage, the Facebook group and the YouTube channel. I argue that their portrayal of the art as a form of Mesoamerican culture and wisdom for current and future generations of Mexicans is contrasted to contemporary Mexico, a Western (Occidental) project that is far removed from the foundations of this diverse country. Overall, the data suggests that certain elements of Mesoamerican civilisation may be transmitted to young Mexicans through a mind-body discipline, which in turn acts as a form of physical (re)education. As a presentation of an article for the recent special edition of the Martial Arts Studies Journal on the invention of martial arts, xilam is posited as both an invented tradition (in a technical sense) and a reinvented tradition (in a cultural sense) that provides lessons on the timeless issues of transformation, transmission and transcendence.
Keywords: Mexico Profundo; Mesoamerica; pre-Hispanic Mexico; martial arts cultures; warrior philosophies.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
George Jennings is a qualitative sociologist interested in traditionalist physical cultures. His previous work has examined the traditionalist Chinese martial arts such as Wing Chun and Taijiquan, and he is currently investigating the dynamic relationships between martial arts, health and society. He is a researcher and editor at the Universidad YMCA, Mexico, and an associate researcher at the Health Advancement Research Team, University of Lincoln, UK.
Keywords: sexuality; Mexico; martial arts; Aztec philosophy; postcolonialism.
Keywords: Martial arts; health; interdisciplinarity; science; philosophy; research design.
George Jennings
Cardiff School of Sport
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Email: [email protected]
This talk stems from a dialogue with colleagues (Brown, Cynarski & Jennings forthcoming) on the expansion on the term “self-cultivation” from a sociocultural angle in terms of concepts of “shared cultivation” (Jennings, 2010) and “social cultivation.” In a disciplinary and theoretical overview of this argument, I advocate a potent combination of mind-body philosophies from Japan with sociological theory from "the West" and other regions to explore the social practice of martial arts originating not just from Japan, but all cultures. This combination of disciplines and theory is inspired by earlier academic calls to consider and apply Japanese mind-body models such as that of Yuasa (1987, 1993) in the sociology of the body (Ozawa-de Silva, 2002) with a growing interest in a global sociology moving away from its Eurocentric tradition via projects operating in "the global South" and through postcolonial theory, as expressed recently by (Bhambra & de Souza Santos, 2017). The aim of this theoretical model is thus to encourage discussion on Japanese theories of the body, embodiment, pedagogy, education, etc., and how they might connect to academic disciplines such as sociology and may also be utilized in the study of martial arts beyond “the West” and “the East,” as considered by the examples of the Chinese martial arts in Britain and the emerging martial arts of Mexico.
Presenter biography
Dr. George Jennings is Lecturer in Sport Sociology / Physical Culture at Cardiff Metropolitan University. His academic background is in sport and exercise sciences, and his research operates between the anthropology and the sociology of alternative body cultures such as traditional martial arts from China and Mexico. He is also interested in novel approaches to qualitative research and merging comparative philosophy, social theory and cultural critique. George has studied numerous Asian martial arts, and is an instructor of Wing Chun Kung Fu.
Dr. George Jennings
Cardiff School of Sport, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Email: [email protected]
Aim
To provide a theoretical overview of the ideas of shared and social cultivation as explored through the entwined themes of health and sustainability.
Objectives
1) To explain and critique the notion of “self-cultivation.”
2) To consider the new concepts of “shared cultivation” and “social cultivation” and also “circles of cultivation.”
3) To apply this social philosophy in terms of health and sustainability in the Chinese and Mexican martial arts.
Key terms
- Cultivation: The lifelong pursuit of excellence and human development through continued practice.
- Self-cultivation: An individualist perspective on personal excellence via mind-body unification.
- Shared cultivation: The cooperative, pedagogical and cultural striving for shared development within certain schools, associations and subcultures.
- Social cultivation: The cultivation of humanity over successive generations in order to make a safer, more disciplined and harmonious society.
Take home message
The “martial arts” are a broad and inclusive camp that include some systems and styles that can be sustained over the life course as self-, shared and social cultivation practices that are aimed to live healthy, disciplined and moral lives: for better people, communities and even societies.
Questions for the participants
a) How could the notion of cultivation be applied to other physical cultural activities?
b) Is social cultivation a model that can be used beyond the martial arts?
c) How might we use the movements and principles of certain martial arts for health and wellbeing?
d) What is the future course of such activities in our society?
Self-critical points
- Is the idea of social cultivation a form of neo-Confucianism?
- Why can’t other types of martial arts be classified as cultivation systems?
- Can the models of self-cultivation, shared cultivation and social cultivation fit within models of sustainability?
- Aren’t these ideas just utopian, and therefore impossible to achieve?
Forthcoming publication
Brown, D., Cynarski, W. & Jennings, G. (Forthcoming). Social cultivation through the martial arts.
Forthcoming talk
Jennings, G. (2017). Japanese philosophy and global sociology: For an international, interdisciplinary martial arts studies. Martial Arts Studies One-Day Event: New Research in the Japanese Martial Arts, Arts and Science Centre, Bath, 3rd May 2017.
My background
I am a qualitative researcher and sociologist of sport with a particular interest in martial arts studies and alternative physical culture. As a practitioner and an instructor, I have been involved in various martial arts for seventeen years. My early academic studies were based on an ethnography of a Wing Chun Kung Fu association, and this extended to my PhD research on traditionalist Chinese martial arts as transformative practices. After working in British academia for two years, I moved to Mexico as an independent researcher and later worked as an editor, researcher at the Universidad YMCA, Mexico City. There, I researched the emerging martial arts of Mexico, including Xilam. My current project draws upon some of the ideas of sustainability, longevity and lifelong practice by examining the dynamic relationships between martial arts and health in contemporary society.
Related projects
• Martial arts, health and society
• The invention of the Mexican martial arts
• Chinese martial arts as transformative practices
• Digital media and embodied practice of Wing Chun Kung Fu
• Martial arts and mixed-sex training
Further details
Staff page: http://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/schoolofsport/staff/Pages/George-Jennings.aspx
Academia: http://cardiffmet.academia.edu/GeorgeJennings
Keywords: Martial arts; games; pedagogy; play; alternative physical culture.
Dr. George Jennings
Cardiff Metropolitan University
The ancient Mesoamerican civilization thrived for several thousand years prior to the conquest in 1521, when the region of what is now Mexico and parts of Central American became Westernised in terms of religion, philosophy, ideology, customs and infrastructure. However, remnants of the pre-Hispanic wisdom have survived to this day, and have been rediscovered by contemporary advocates and scholars. One such example is the modern Mexican martial art of Xilam, which is inspired by the calendar and also the warrior cultures of the Aztec (Mexica), Maya and Zapotec peoples. In this talk and demonstration, martial arts researcher Dr. George Jennings will highlight key elements of the pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican scientific worldview through the structure and performance of this fighting and human development system. The talk will uncover aspects of personal transformation and transcendence through a consideration of elements, indigenous animals, numerical systems and cardinal points that all form the basis of the philosophy of Xilam: To “remove the skin” and to discover oneself.
George Jennings, PhD, is a qualitative researcher of physical culture interested in alternative and comparative philosophies. His investigations to date has looked at the Chinese martial arts, the (re)invented fighting systems of Mexico and a broader look at the relationships between martial arts, health and society.
Keywords: sexuality; Mexico; martial arts; Aztec philosophy; postcolonialism.
Keywords: Health research; human movement; interdisciplinarity; physical culture; techniques of the body.
Talk and Discussion Proposal, 21st February 8-10 p.m.
The Martial Arts as Sustainable, Healthy Practices: A Self-Cultivation Approach
Dr. George Jennings
Cardiff School of Sport, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Email: [email protected]
Summary
The “martial arts”, as an inclusive umbrella term, provide a wide variety of styles and systems from around the world that have a diversity of human movement and training methods that can heal or even harm student-practitioners. Despite their popularity in contemporary societies, the essence of many martial arts as potential lifelong, sustainable and health-giving or curative practices has yet to be considered from a philosophical and a social scientific perspective. This talk delves into case studies on my research on the martial arts of China and Mexico by examining the philosophical concept of self-cultivation from a sociological angle. The aim is to stimulate debate and specialist discussion on those martial arts that strive towards self-cultivation through progressive, long-term practice over decades in order to achieve and to maintain mental, physical and social wellbeing beyond the absence of illness – echoing the well-known WHO definition of health itself.
Speaker bio
George Jennings, PhD, is a lecturer in sport sociology and physical culture at Cardiff Metropolitan University. His primary research interest lies in alternative body cultures and worldviews as seen in traditionalist martial arts and other mind-body, self-cultivating practices. George seeks to explore these practices through a variety of social themes and qualitative methodological approaches.
Readings
Jennings, G. (2016). Can the violence-inspired activities of martial arts be good for our health? Love Fighting Hate Violence blog: http://lfhv.org/2016/12/04/can-the-violence-inspired-activities-of-martial-arts-be-good-for-our-health/
Jennings, G. (2014). Transmitting health philosophies through the Chinese martial arts in the UK. Societies, 4(4), 712-736: http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/4/4/712/htm
Stream 18
“Messy” ethnographies for messy social realities
Messy researcher positioning and shifting types of ethnography: Reflections on a study of a Mexican martial art
Dr. George Jennings
Cardiff School of Sport, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Email: [email protected]
Xilam is a little-known Mexican martial art that was created by a female martial arts pioneer in the last few decades of the twentieth century among various other fighting systems inspired by the Aztecs and other warrior cultures (Jennings, 2015). As I have illustrated elsewhere (Jennings, 2016), Xilam was developed as a nationalist project to return to an imagined glory of Mesoamerican past. The art has various guises: a carrier of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican religion-philosophy; a holistic human development system; an esoteric form of self-defence, and even forms part of the broader social movement of Mexicanidad – the pride for all things Mexican, and especially those aspects that are pre-Columbian. I am a British sociologist of physical culture with a background in various martial arts and combat sports whose messy research identities and engagement with different forms of ethnography can be identified in three stages over the last six years. First, my ethnographic study of Xilam began quite unexpectedly in 2011, after moving to Mexico for five years, when passing a poster in a community centre. Being a recent immigrant and enjoying the flexibility of an independent researcher, I began a phenomenological-pedagogical study of how it was taught through games and physical imitation. Second, as my Spanish and grasp of Mexican history improved, I began to explore the culture of Xilam through theories stemming from anthropology and cultural studies, and stepped away from my regular physical practice as a student of Xilam. I continued in contact with the group for several years as a researcher with a formal position in a Mexican university and the Mexican YMCA whilst analysing media and documental data and conducting a life history case study of its female founder, alongside specific interviews for an ongoing publication. A third stage of this project is my recent return to the British academe and a more critical and political outlook on martial arts organisations, which followed valued feedback from reviewers and conference attendees who addressed my lack of political positioning on this group and its relation to wider social and indigenista movements. Overall, in this presentation, I seek to share and invite dialogue on experiences of conducting a “messy” ethnography in the sense of engaging with different disciplines and forms of ethnography as seen from different angles and distances as a lone, yet connected researcher.
Author bio
George Jennings is Lecturer in Sport Sociology / Physical Activity at Cardiff Metropolitan University. His primary research interest lies in the qualitative study of alternative physical cultures, and he has conducted various ethnographic studies of martial arts culture, pedagogy and practice through Wing Chun Kung Fu in England, Xilam in Mexico and now Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) and internal martial arts in Wales. George also engages with (auto)phenomenology, life history, narrative and media analysis approaches to understanding social groups and movement cultures.