|
Masculinities: Football, Polo and the Tango in Argentina (Global Issues Series) | 
 enlarge | Author: Eduardo P. Archetti
Publisher: Berg Publishers
Category: Book
Buy New: $74.95
New (13) Used (6) from $29.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 4580588
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.7
ISBN: 1859732615
Dewey Decimal Number: 301
EAN: 9781859732618
ASIN: 1859732615
Publication Date: March 1, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Archetti's masculinities June 22, 2002
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Eduardo Archetti's book, Masculinities: Football, Polo, and the Tango in Argentina, is the anthropological study of generalizations in Argentine society and how those are used to build a nationality. The theme of hybridization runs throughout his book as he examines how through the mixing of different cultures, a unique identity could be formed. He looks at sporting as an example of this.
His conclusion is that through each activity Argentina was able to give something to the world or to themselves. Through Football Argentineans created their own style; In Polo, they were able to export their ponies; and through the poetry of the Tango they were able to embody the Argentine man's moralities.
The bulk of his research was done through conversations with informants and historical references such as newspapers and men's magazines. He desires to focus on the masculinities of the nation, but does not draw any concrete conclusions to the questions he asks. Overall, one gets a sense of nationalism and Argentinean identity through the book
Hybridizing Sport and Dance Into National Identity June 20, 2002
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book examines the historical role of the male in Argentina, a country of tradition and immigration, the combination of which Archetti terms "hybridization." Filtering these themes through the examples of the man-man relationship in football, the man-horse relationship in polo, and the man-woman relationship in the tango, he tries to find the national identity of the Argentine man and establish his place on the international stage.
Archetti first introduces the idea of hybridization, tracing modern Argentine social makeup from the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century, which created the traditional Creole culture, through the European immigration of the early to mid 20th century, the environment in which football, polo, and the tango were all hybridized into something distinctly Argentine in style. Examining first football, he traces the "Argentine style" of creativity, especially dribbling, to the barrios, or small neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, where boys learn the game on the streets. This style matured into the individualistic football of the Argentinean national team, which came to be a world power, exportable to Europe. Polo, the game of the elite, is reviewed in similar terms. Archetti notes the importance of the Gaucho, the Argenine cowboy, in the development of polo jockeys and ponies. He then develops the idea of masculine moralitites in Argentine society, and ties them into the male-female relationship displayed in the tango, which developed in the early 20th century in Buenos Aires cabarets. Returning to football, the most important aspect of masculinity and nationalism in the book, Archetti looks at the male pride in the national team, especially their style and aesthetics inplay, and illustrates the individual's reaction to team performance. Using the example of Maradona, Argentina's most famous footballer, he asserts that the ideal male is a pibe, a boy, who through exceptional football skill, need never grow up on the field or off.
The book is the product of years of careful research, aided by several close "informants." Its focus on primary sources, with which the reader will not necessarily be familiar, and its insistence on quoting these sources at length, make for a sometimes dry read. Archetti succeeds in creating a better understanding of the male in football, polo, and the tango, as they developed in a country of hybridization and strong nationalism. The book is a success, then, in its academic aims, and excellent as a source for intense research, but tough to grasp and thick to wade through as a casual reader.
Review of Archetti's Masculinities June 18, 2002
In his book, Eduardo P. Archetti uncovers how the national identity of Argentina is displayed through males participating in football, polo, and the tango. Archetti, along with being a native of Argentina, is an anthropologist. He chose to search out the answers to all of his questions simply by asking them to other Argentinean males. Archetti then puts this book together using the material he gained from the interviews he conducted. Besides piecing together the book by placing many of the actual interviews in it, he includes the histories of football, polo, and the tango, as well as a biographical account of Maradona, a former player on the Argentina national football team.
The book contains an introduction and two sections. Each of the three sections are divided up into approximately four parts. The introduction discusses the framework and the perspectives of the book. The first section focuses on how hybridization plays a key role in determining the national identity of Argentina. Archetti unveils in the later chapters of this first section the history of Argentinean football and polo. He then tells of how hybridity evolved within the realm of Argentinean sport and helped with the development of style and national image. The second section of the book is dedicated to the issue of masculinities and moralities in Argentinean football and the tango. Archetti talks about how the tango allowed for women to "step out" of their traditional roles, and how the lyrics of the tango express Argentina's national character. He finally tells of how Maradona, "the most famous contemporary Argentinean football star", had masculine tendencies and morals that depicted the ultimate Argentinean pibe (182).
Archetti's book was full of detail and quite interesting. However, he could have gone about presenting his material differently. He asked questions and did not answer them until further on into the book. As a reader, I found this method quite confusing. At the conclusion of the book, it was unclear to me if several of his questions were even answered. He should have answered his questions in a more orderly manner. Archetti did do a fabulous job explaining how the tango has evolved over time and has, in a sense, been a script for how Argentineans are feeling and what they are dealing with. This issue can therefore be further explored, and it can be discovered how the tango is currently evolving and how it continues to help shape the identity of Argentina.
 A literary approach June 14, 2001
E Archetti, an Argentinean professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo, Norway, presents in this book, his reasearch into the concepts of nationalism, masculinity, cultural popular symbols and the elaborated culture of "performing bodies". Through thorough readings of historical texts differing in nature from nationalist writings of early 20th century's authors, to the essential sports magazines such as "el Grafico", an image is created of both intellectual reflection and popular understanding of the emerging of football and polo, seen in relation to the immense immigration to Argentina that took place especially from the latter part of the 1800's until the Second World War. The hybridisation of male perfomers is at the core of Archetti's study, as he explains how the new forms of established practices on the sports field were shaped, and how these performers became bearers and images of what was defined as the Argentinean culture. Archetti's method in constructing the image on how the new hybridised forms came to be essential to Argentina, in what he conceptualises as a national gallery of male symbols, is very purposeful and rewarding, leaving the reader with a very good comprehension of the matter. The book is not an indepth psychologically founded study of masculinity. The individual mental constructs that are closely regarded in other studies on the matter of masculinity, is perhaps outside the realm of this book. The research is primarily textual, and concerning the issue of the tango, one should not expect a passionately written account about neither the choreography or sensuous subtleness of the dance. Again, Archetti is concerning himself with the moralities and sexual politics in the tango lyrics from the era of the tango-cancion, making the presentation and the comprehension of this phenomenon primarily one based on textual analysis, and conversations with informants, reproducing and analysing their narratives. Thoroughly enjoyable throughout, not at all overly academical in style, and a good foundation and pathfinder for anyone who has a general interest in the Argentinean cultural symbols, gender studies or construction of national essence.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
