Fighting for Recognition

Smith R. Tyson Smith

Description

In Fighting for Recognition, R. Tyson Smith enters the world of independent professional wrestling, a community-based entertainment staged in community centers, high school gyms, and other modest venues. Like the big-name, televised pro wrestlers who originally inspired them, indie wrestlers engage in choreographed fights in character. Smith details the experiences, meanings, and motivations of the young men who wrestle as "Lethal" or "Southern Bad Boy," despite receiving little to no pay and risking the possibility of serious and sometimes permanent injury. Exploring intertwined issues of gender, class, violence, and the body, he sheds new light on the changing sources of identity in a postindustrial society that increasingly features low wages, insecure employment, and fragmented social support. Smith uncovers the tensions between strength and vulnerability, pain and solidarity, and homophobia and homoeroticism that play out both backstage and in the ring as the wrestlers seek recognition from fellow performers and devoted fans.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• USA
• Lucha libre profesional
• Sociology
• Wrestling
• États-Unis
• Gender studies

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 19 août 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780822376408
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

  FIGHTING FOR RECOGNITION

  FIGHTING FOR RECOGNITION IDENTITY, MASCULINITY, AND THE ACT OF VIOLENCE IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING R. TYSON SMITH

ûé Ûéŝ éŝŝ ûà à ôô 2014

© 2014 ûé Ûéŝ éŝŝ Ā ŝ éŝéé é  é Ûé Śàéŝ ô Āéçà ô àç-éé àé ∞ éŝé  ô ô  àç Çôôŝô, ç.

à ô Çôéŝŝ Çààô--ûçàô àà Ś, . ŝô.  ô éçôô : é, àŝçû à é àç ô ôéçé  ôéŝŝôà éŝ / . ŝô Ś. àéŝ ç çûéŝ ôàçà éééçéŝ à é. îsbn 978-0-8223-5709-4 (çô : à. àé) îsbn 978-0-8223-5722-3 (. : à. àé) 1. éŝ—Śôçà àŝéçŝ—Ûé Śàéŝ. 2. éŝéŝ—Ûé Śàéŝ. . é. gv1196.4.s63s65 2014 796.812—ç23 2014005681

ôŝéçé ôô çô à Śéé ôôà

Çôé ôô  . ŝô Ś

I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO FEEL COMPELLED TO FIGHT FOR RECOGNITION. WHETHER YOU ARE AN INDIE WRESTLER, VETERAN, INCARCERATED PERSON, OR ACADEMIC, MAY YOU FIND IT AS PAINLESSLY AS POSSIBLE.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PROLOGUE





INTRODUCTION

1



CHAPTER 1: Hé éŝ

9

CHAPTER 2:  ô à ô: éŝé éçôô

CHAPTER 3: àŝŝô ô: Hé Çôôàé ôûçô ô Éôôà àô 62

CHAPTER 4: “ éà é ’ à ôà ôôôé”: éŝéŝ àà é àé àé 89

CHAPTER 5: à  é Āç

CONCLUSION



147

APPENDIX A: ô  éà

115

155

APPENDIX B: àé éŝéŝ/àçàŝ

NOTES

171

REFERENCES

INDEX

197

211

167

37

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ŝ à ôéôŝ,  à à ô é éŝéŝ ô ŝàé é éŝ  é.  à û àéû ô é ôééŝŝ, à, à àŝŝô.  ôé à é àéçàé ŝ ô éŝé  ççà ŝàçé. Āté é éŝéŝ, éé ŝ ô ôé  à ôé à Jûŝé Śéé. Śé ŝûôé é  çôûéŝŝ àŝ ô à é é à çôûéŝŝ ûé ô éàŝ. Śé’ŝ ôé ô é ŝàéŝ à ôŝ ôçûŝé  é ûç, à é ŝŝ éé àûàé. Hà ôû, Jûŝé, ô ààŝ éé ŝ  éŝéçé à ô éé  é éŝ ô (àôŝ àŝ ûç àŝ  ). çàé Śçà çàé  éàôŝ ô ŝôçôô à, ŝûŝé- ûé, é ŝé.  çàô à  éôû ô ààŝ éé  é.  àé éé ô àôé àŝ àççôŝé, lûéà, à ŝé àŝ é ŝ (ô ŝô àç  é ûôûàé ééŝéŝ à ôté àççôà éŝé ûàéŝ). Hà ôû, çàé, ô é à ô, àé é.  ôé ôé à ô é àé ô ôFé  ŝûéŝ é éôô, ŝô, à ôé à ôû é ôûŝ. ô ôé àŝ ôé àŝ ûç ô é é  ŝ ôô ôû ô çô- éô àŝ Jàé Āûéô. Hà ôû, Jàé, ô é ŝô àéé, ŝô ô- ôû, à ŝô à ûç ô é àç—à ô é é àé û à- ààé ô ôû éà ! ôû àé éé é éôé ô éà. ôû ŝé é ô ô éôà à ààŝ ô ô àé à ô ûé. ’ é àéû ô ôû éôŝ à ààŝç éé.   ôûçé éé à ûàé ô é -ûà ŝçôàŝ ôû ôûçé,   çôŝé ŝé à àçàéç ŝûççéŝŝ. ô ŝûé à ôû û ô (ôé à àÈ), û  à ŝôé. Hà ôû, ôô, ô çàé é ô ŝ ôà