Myth and Identity in the Martial Arts
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A01=Alexus McLeod
Author_Alexus McLeod
Bruce Lee
Category=JBCC6
Category=NHF
Category=SRM
Chinese thought
combat sports
East Asian philosophy
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
eq_sports-fitness
forthcoming
Japanese thought
social identity
Product details
- ISBN 9781666944624
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 23 Jul 2026
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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Myth and Identity in the Martial Arts: Creating the Dragon is a study of the role of myth and ideology in the formation of social identity, focusing on a variety of communities of practice involving the martial arts in East Asian and Western history. Alexus McLeod argues that myths of the martial arts should not be understood as “falsehoods” created as means of legitimizing modern practices, but should instead be understood as narratives that enable individuals and communities to formulate social identities and to accord meaning to their practices. This book covers six influential sources of myth and identity formation in the history of martial arts: early Chinese and Indian philosophy, the formation bushido thought in the Edo period of Japan, Republican-era Chinese conceptions of nationhood and physical culture, Western contributions and the innovations of Bruce Lee, African American conceptions of martial arts as a response to oppression in the twentieth century, and the contemporary ideologies of mixed martial arts.
Alexus McLeod is professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University.
