Description
Book SynopsisThe book examines the deep interplay of martial arts, combative, and self-defense practices with nationalism and ethno-religious politics.
It focuses on the complex formative process of ethno-religious communities, their growth and resilience, in the context of the establishment of the State of Israel and the contemporary Jewish Diaspora. By presenting the unique case of Krav Maga, literally meaning “hand to hand combat”, which is a selfdefense system initially developed between the late 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries which is now considered a staple of Israeli culture, the book ultimately provides strong evidence in support of the idea that the understanding of physical violence proper to the martial arts is not only accepted and tolerated within modern egalitarian democracy but it is indeed needed as a profoundly unifying collective experience.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Introduction
1 - Lions of God: A Critical History of Krav Maga
2 - Krav Maga, Religious Communities and the Politics of Self-Defense
3 - Once Were Warriors: Martial Arts and Vestigial States
4 - Accept Yourself as Your Own Savior: Krav Maga and Collin’s Ritual Chains
5 - Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum: Social Vaccine and Physical Violence in
Modern Society
6 - From Krav Maga to MMA: The Gladiatorial Effect
7 - Conclusions
Bibliography
Index
