ΠΟΔΟΣΦΑΙΡΟ ΚΑΙ ΤΑΝΓΚΟ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΡΓΕΝΤΙΝΗ

Eduardo P. Archetti, Masculinities: Football, Polo and the Tango in Argentina

The complex relationship between nationalism and masculinity has been explored both historically and sociologically with one consistent conclusion: male concepts of courage and virility are at the core of nationalism. In this ground-breaking book, the author questions this assumption and advances the debate through an empirical analysis of masculinity in the revealing contexts of same-sex (football and polo) and cross-sex (tango) relations. Because of its rich history, Argentina provides the ideal setting in which to study the intersection of masculine and national constructs: hybridization, creolization and a culture of performance have all informed both gender and national identities. Further, the author argues that, counter to claims made by globalization theorists, the importance of performance to Argentinian men and women has a long history and has powerfully shaped the national psyche.

But this book takes the analysis far beyond national boundaries to address general arguments in anthropology which are not culture-specific, and the discussion poses important comparative questions and addresses central theoretical issues, from the interplay of morality and ritual, to a comparison between the popular and the aristocratic, to the importance of 'othering' in national constructions - particularly those relating to sport.

This book represents a major contribution, not only to anthropology, but to the study of gender, nationalism and culture in its broadest sense.

ISBN-10: 1859732615

ISBN-13: 978-1859732618

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Société & Représentations n°7
Revue du CREDHESS

FOOTBALL ET SOCIÉTÉS / FOOTBALL AND SOCIETIES

Eduardo P. Archetti, Le football et le tango dans l'imaginaire argentin

Le sport et la danse, en tant que pratiques corporelles, sont des pratiques culturelles et relèvent donc d’un même univers. C’est dire qu’il existe des rapports d’affinité entre le sport, la danse et la musique en Amérique Latine, notamment entre le danzon et le baseball à Cuba, la samba et le football au Brésil, le tango et le football en Argentine. Depuis 1910-1930 l'exportation des pratiques culturelles et de ceux qui les incarnent (danseurs et joueurs) et des spectacles “sons et images” argentins a été associée au tango (une création locale) et au football (une invention anglaise). La communication analyse l'impact historique et sociologique de ces pratiques corporelles dans la construction d'un imaginaire argentin qui trouve une part de son fondement dans les pays d’importation.

Sport and dance, as corporal activities, are cultural practices and are therefore part of a same universe. It means that there are links of affinities between sport, dance and music in Latin America, noticeably between danzón and baseball in Cuba, samba and football in Brazil, and tango and football in Argentina. Since 1910-1930 the export of cultural practices and those who embody them (dancers and players) and of Argentinean " sound and images " shows, has been associated with tango (a local creation) as well as with soccer football (an English invention). The contribution analyses the historical and sociological impact of these corporal practices in the building of an Argentinean imaginary, which partly founds itself in countries of importation.