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.
