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Witnessing Aggression: Media and Firsthand

Gordon W. Russell

in Aggression in the Sports World: A social psychological perspective

This chapter discusses the role of media in influencing aggression. As examples, do the all consuming interests of the couch potato lead to conflict in marital and romantic relationships? The ... More

This chapter discusses the role of media in influencing aggression. As examples, do the all consuming interests of the couch potato lead to conflict in marital and romantic relationships? The question of whether violence on television increases the aggression of viewers is explored along with the equally important question of whether there are effects that extend into the community well beyond the viewing situation, for example, suicides and homicides. A following section considers the content and effects of professional wrestling on young children and teens in dating relationships. The cognitive phenomenon of “priming” whereby violent rhetoric sets the stage for later aggression is examined. The results of studies designed to assess the effects of people personally viewing aggression from the stands are summarized. Also considered are the effects on viewers of displays of interpersonal aggression containing erotic themes.Less

The Individual Re-Formed

Joseph S. Alter

in The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India

This chapter argues that wrestling casts the body in a particular light. Various regimens, in conjunction with certain symbolic structures, have the effect of building the body up to larger-than-life ... More

This chapter argues that wrestling casts the body in a particular light. Various regimens, in conjunction with certain symbolic structures, have the effect of building the body up to larger-than-life proportions. The regimentation to which the wrestler's body is subject does not produce a wholly disembodied pugilist such as might be the product of Western forms of discipline, where body is radically dissociated from mind, and where the rank-and-file individual is regarded as a mere machine. Since Hindu philosophy and practice does not make the same distinction between mind and body, the individual is not objectified in the same way when subject to various forms of discipline. As Narayan Singh pointed out, the first step of any exercise begins with the questioning the self, and proceeds along a direct path of regimentation to a subjective experience of self as whole and healthy.Less

Book III

Ronald E. Heine

in The Commentaries of Origen and Jerome on St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians

Contains a translation of the third book of Jerome's commentary on Ephesians with a translation of the parallel excerpts from Origen's commentary. Book III begins with a prologue and then provides ... More

Contains a translation of the third book of Jerome's commentary on Ephesians with a translation of the parallel excerpts from Origen's commentary. Book III begins with a prologue and then provides commentary on Ephesians 4: 31–6: 24. Origen and Jerome interpret Paul's comments in this section of the epistle on subjects such as anger, sex, obscenity in actions, speech, and thought, marriage and its symbolism in relation to Christ and the Church, and household relationships. There is a major discussion, focused especially on Ephesians 6: 12, of Paul's words about the ‘wrestling’ of the Christian ‘against the cosmic powers of darkness’.Less

The Long Journey Homeward (Chaps. 31–33): The Fear in Meeting Laban (31:1–32:2)The Greater Fear in Meeting Esau (32:3–Chap. 33)

Thomas L. Brodie

in Genesis as Dialogue: A Literary, Historical, and Theological Commentary

Jacob's journey homeward, after an absence of twenty years, consists of two main episodes: journeying in fear to meet Laban (Genesis 31:1–32:2), and journeying in greater fear to meet Esau, the ... More

Jacob's journey homeward, after an absence of twenty years, consists of two main episodes: journeying in fear to meet Laban (Genesis 31:1–32:2), and journeying in greater fear to meet Esau, the brother who once sought to kill him (32:3–ch. 33). Jacob's fear includes the fear of death. In meeting Laban, he is cowed initially; only in his anger does he find the courage to confront Laban. However, before facing Esau, Jacob wrestles with God, and then he faces the danger somewhat calmly. The night struggle with God has some aspects of a betrothal.Less

Down the Ages: Sport in Ancient and Medieval India

Ronojoy Sen

in Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India

A summary of sport in ancient and medieval India including referenes to the great Indian epics.

Lords of the Ring: Tales of Wrestlers and Boxers

Ronojoy Sen

in Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India

The story of wrestling and boxing in colonial India and the lives of some of its biggest stars.

Life Beyond Cricket

Ronojoy Sen

in Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India

An assessment of the state of sports, other than cricket, in India.

8. Nemean 4: Wrestling with a Form-Changer

Anne Pippin Burnett

in Pindar's Songs for Young Athletes of Aigina

Composed by Pindar about a decade after Nemean 5, Nemean 4 once again takes Peleus as the figure through whom a victorious boy may discover his new identity. It was made for Timasarchos, a young man ... More

Composed by Pindar about a decade after Nemean 5, Nemean 4 once again takes Peleus as the figure through whom a victorious boy may discover his new identity. It was made for Timasarchos, a young man who has won in wrestling contests in Athens and Thebes as well as at Nemea, having been coached in this most devious of Greek sports by the famous trainer, Melesias. Timasarchos' prizes have been brought back to his grandfather, Euphanes, who celebrates the boy's victory with an ode that addresses an audience explicitly divided in age and experience. The song announces itself as an agent of Euphrosyna, the high-spirited sense of Joy that rules during the spontaneous victory night celebration and also in the more mature and inhibited symposium. The song engages with the magnificence of the Aiakids, specifically with Peleus' struggle with the Thetis-monster.Less

13. Olympian 8: Aiakos at the Walls of Troy

Anne Pippin Burnett

in Pindar's Songs for Young Athletes of Aigina

Olympian 8 is the only Aiginetan ode by Pindar that celebrates an Olympic victory. In 460 BC, Alkimedon, a boy of the Blepsiad tribe, sailed round the Peloponnese, probably in ... More

Olympian 8 is the only Aiginetan ode by Pindar that celebrates an Olympic victory. In 460 BC, Alkimedon, a boy of the Blepsiad tribe, sailed round the Peloponnese, probably in the company of his trainer, and after a month's preparation at Pisa, defeated all his opponents in the wrestling ring in the Olympics. Through this rare triumph, Zeus ‘exalted’ the boy's city and his tribe, the elder generations of which had also known major victories. Olympian 8 is a Zeus-filled song in which the god is four times formally named — as Zeus of the Silver Bolt, Zeus genethlios, Zeus Xenios, and Zeus the deep-thundering Son of Kronos — before a final prayer in which he is summoned as one who apportions splendid things among mortals. From an Aiakos set down on Aigina by his divine chauffeur, the chorus turns directly and with a rhetorical flourish to Alkimedon's trainer. The snakes and the Aiakid takers of Troy cannot really be reconciled, and Pindar covers the course of two long wars in ten words.Less

Utopian Somatics and Nationalist Discourse

Joseph S. Alter

in The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India

This chapter looks at the way in which somatics translates into a nationalist discourse as the wrestler is cast in the role of perfect citizen. Wrestlers have a specific, overtly circumscribed ... More

This chapter looks at the way in which somatics translates into a nationalist discourse as the wrestler is cast in the role of perfect citizen. Wrestlers have a specific, overtly circumscribed interpretation of modernity, and often provided unsolicited critical commentaries on the state of the modern world. It became apparent that these were not the usual conservative and often anachronistically nostalgic retrospectives. In fact, a refined and critical evaluation of the current moral, economic, and political state of affairs in India is central to the practice of wrestling as a way of life. From the wrestler's perspective, an affliction of modernity assails the human body and thereby directly undermines the integrity of the modern state. A fairly elaborate discourse has developed that both delineates the precise nature of this affliction and offers a utopian alternative.Less

Search and Research

Joseph S. Alter

in The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India

This chapter explores wrestling in India as a way of life. The term Indian wrestling is translated directly from the Hindi phrase Bharatiya kushti. Kushti (generic wrestling) is regarded as having a ... More

This chapter explores wrestling in India as a way of life. The term Indian wrestling is translated directly from the Hindi phrase Bharatiya kushti. Kushti (generic wrestling) is regarded as having a uniquely Indian form. In North India, there are two other terms that are used interchangeably when referring to Indian wrestling. The most common of these is pahalwani, which the chapter has taken to signify two important conceptual domains within the larger framework of wrestling as a way of life. On the one hand, pahalwani defines a particular concept of self-structure in terms of somatic principles, and on the other articulates the values and ethics of a distinct ideology. To explore pahalwani, therefore, is to understand how wrestlers make sense of who they are through the medium of their bodies, while the second term is mallayuddha, which may be literally translated as “wrestling combat.”Less

Gurus and Chelas: The Alchemy of Discipleship

Joseph S. Alter

in The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India

The concept of “guru” has been popularized to the point of parody, and it is difficult to approach the topic without stumbling over stereotypes and misconceptions. Spiritual teachers of all ... More

The concept of “guru” has been popularized to the point of parody, and it is difficult to approach the topic without stumbling over stereotypes and misconceptions. Spiritual teachers of all persuasions abound, and even those who espouse truth with conviction suffer the stigma of fraud. Wrestling is not immune to this modern malady, and there are as many charlatans in the akhara as there are in the temple, spiritual retreat, music hall, dance gharana, or any other arena where the institution of guruship prevails. Nevertheless, whether realized or imagined, the persona of the guru is an important concept in the wrestling rubric, in which ideals are more real than actual human experience, and the guru lives more as a figure of speech than as a flesh and blood teacher.Less

The Patron and the Wrestler

Joseph S. Alter

in The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India

Patrons are responsible for the public image of their wrestlers. Without patronage, a wrestler can, in the language of structuralism, only signify—his body stands for morality and chastity—but he is ... More

Patrons are responsible for the public image of their wrestlers. Without patronage, a wrestler can, in the language of structuralism, only signify—his body stands for morality and chastity—but he is powerless and unable to convey the story of his way of life to a larger audience. The patron gives meaning to what a wrestler simply stands for. While what it means to be a wrestler is given public interpretation through patronage, wrestlers are not silent partners to an illegitimate reading of their way of life. In the akhara, and within the world of wrestling, the symbolic components of the body convey a set of standardized meanings on which any wrestler can build and from which he can elaborate and interpret various situations.Less

Nag Panchami: Snakes, Sex, and Semen

Joseph S. Alter

in The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India

Nag Panchami (Snake's [Cobra's] Fifth) is a minor festival celebrated throughout North India in the latter half of July on the fifth day of the light half of the Hindu month Shravan. As the name ... More

Nag Panchami (Snake's [Cobra's] Fifth) is a minor festival celebrated throughout North India in the latter half of July on the fifth day of the light half of the Hindu month Shravan. As the name implies, Nag Panchami is a festival in honor of snakes. Gurus are honored, patrons are recognized, and wrestlers demonstrate their skill and strength before crowds of people. It is said that even people who are not usually interested in wrestling take this opportunity to get involved. Although most people get involved only as spectators, at many akharas the pit is turned into a public arena where anyone may challenge anyone else regardless of whether they know how to wrestle or not. The chapter offers an interpretation of the symbolic structure of wrestling as a way of life, since wrestlers are seriously preoccupied with their sexuality.Less

Wrestling Tournaments and the Body's Recreation

Joseph S. Alter

in The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India

Indian wrestling dangals may be read as texts. They are interpretive templates that provide a framework for making sense of cultural experience. However, while the cockfight is a studied microcosm of ... More

Indian wrestling dangals may be read as texts. They are interpretive templates that provide a framework for making sense of cultural experience. However, while the cockfight is a studied microcosm of “things Balinese”—status, honor, propriety, hierarchy, masculinity, and antibestiality—the dangal seems to defy any like characterization for the Indian scene. The cockfight seems to elaborate meaning through the operation of symbolic dramatization. Dangals, on the other hand, seem to strip meaning down to essentials, to first principles. Building on this theme, this chapter offers an interpretation of the dangal in order to explain what it says about wrestling in particular and also about Hindu society in India. Set against the textured aesthetic of the akhara; the intricate regime of day-to-day life; the charged relationship between patron, guru, and wrestler; and the symbolic world brought to life on Nag Panchami, the dangal is a one-dimensional, abbreviated event.Less

Education: The Making of Active Citizens in Mind and Body

Carey Anthony Watt

in Serving the Nation: Cultures of Service, Association and Citizenship

This chapter explores how education was used to train both the mind and body to promote active participation in society, a belief common to Indian and Western understandings of the connection between ... More

This chapter explores how education was used to train both the mind and body to promote active participation in society, a belief common to Indian and Western understandings of the connection between a citizen’s physical health and service to society The leaders of the subcontinent’s social service organizations were keen that healthy Indians became active, patriotic, and efficient citizens. The chapter focuses on the educational interventions of the Arya Samaj, the Kanya Mahavidyalaya, the Theosophical Society, The Servants of India Society, The Kangri Gurukul, among others. Students were also encouraged to reject colonial employment in favour of social service. The observation of brahmacharya was encouraged amongst male students. The chapter also describes the physical capabilities of Professor Ramamurti Naidu, the athletics instructor of Central Hindu College. The influence of Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys (1908) is discussed as is also the threat posed by the growing number of Boy Scout movements to British power.Less

Prayer as Struggle

Alec Ryrie

in Being Protestant in Reformation Britain

This chapter concludes the discussion of private prayer by describing the experience of prayer as struggle. Protestant prayer was usually at its keenest in the face of suffering, and was conceived as ... More

This chapter concludes the discussion of private prayer by describing the experience of prayer as struggle. Protestant prayer was usually at its keenest in the face of suffering, and was conceived as a matter of insistent, importunate persistence in the face of apparent rejection. This was partly a matter of prayer as spiritual warfare, against the world, the flesh and the devil, and the Pauline image of donning the armour of God was very widely used and elaborated. But this also extended into the concept of prayer as a paradoxical struggle between the believer and God, in which God was ultimately on the believer’s side. The Biblical image of wrestling with God was routinely employed. This gave Protestant piety a particularly intense, dynamic quality.Less

Enslaved Men and Leisure

Sergio A. Lussana

in My Brother Slaves: "Friendship, Masculinity, and Resistance in the Antebellum South"

This chapter explores the leisure time of enslaved men. Not only did men spend this time with their families and loved ones, they socialized with other men by drinking, gambling, and wrestling. In ... More

This chapter explores the leisure time of enslaved men. Not only did men spend this time with their families and loved ones, they socialized with other men by drinking, gambling, and wrestling. In these homosocial spaces, men reinforced certain gender, age, and status roles. Through these activities, enslaved men fostered homosocial solidarity and reaffirmed friendships. Slaveholding mastery in the antebellum South depended on the domination and control of the slave body. By drinking and wrestling, enslaved men challenged the hegemony of the slave owner. In the process they “reclaimed” their bodies from the symbolic and economic imperatives of slavery. The chapter emphasizes how the male slave body served as a profoundly personal and political site of resistance.Less