Bowman, Paul  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9311-2391
2026.
Imagined somaesthetics and the analysis of embodied ideology.
Martial Arts Studies
20
, pp. 105-116.
10.18573/mas.244
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Abstract
Richard Shusterman’s theory of somaesthetics offers a valuable way for scholars to understand the body in practice, one that is particularly valuable for martial arts studies. However, I suggest, Shusterman does not fully engage with the dimension of the imagination in bodily practices. This, I argue, means that the theory of somaesthetics is unfinished or incomplete in relation to analysing the practicing body in relation to external cultural influences and ideologies. To address this, I draw from Edward Said’s theory of ‘imagined geography’ and Benedict Anderson’s theory of ‘imagined communities’, plus Lauren Berlant’s affect-focused insights into the relationships between the body and ideology, in order to enrich the theory of somaesthetics for martial arts studies. I term this expanded concept ‘imagined somaesthetics’. After doing this, I draw from my own research into contemporary practices of ‘Indian club’ training, to propose a method for exploring imagined somaesthetics that I call soma-semiotics.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Journalism, Media and Culture |
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure |
| Publisher: | Cardiff University Press |
| ISSN: | 2057-5696 |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 28 April 2026 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 11 October 2025 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Apr 2026 22:10 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/186683 |
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