Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 186
Trim: 6⅜ x 9
978-1-5381-4361-2 • Hardback • March 2022 • $105.00 • (£81.00)
978-1-5381-4362-9 • eBook • March 2022 • $38.00 • (£29.00)
Andrea Molle is assistant professor of political science at Chapman University.
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Is Violence a Necessity for the Modern Nation-State?
1 Lions of God: A Critical History of Krav Maga
2 Jewish Nationalism and the Politics of Self-Defense
3 Once Were Warriors: The American Diaspora, Zionism, and the Warrior Mythology of Ancient Israel
4 Accept Yourself as Your Own Savior: Krav Maga as a Religious Experience
5 Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum: Krav Maga, MMA, and the Gladiatorial Effect
Conclusion: Martial Arts as a Social Vaccine
Appendix: Krav Maga and National Identity Questionnaire
References
In what ways is violence a necessary aspect of the modern nation state? In asking this provocative question, Andrea Molle opens a new chapter in the development of martial arts studies as well as political science more generally. Deftly weaving together pressing topics such as nationalism, political conflict, and violence manifested on both the interpersonal and political levels he is able to shine a bright light on some of the most pressing questions of our current social moment. This opening statement in the area of ‘political hoplology’ is sure to be referenced by a wide variety of scholars for years to come.
— Benjamin N. Judkins, co-editor of the journal Martial Arts Studies (Cardiff University Press)
Andrea Molle’s exhaustive investigation of Krav Maga is a massive contribution that will serve to fill a glaring gap in the study of martial arts. Hereafter, it surely must be included in the bibliography of all serious scholarly works looking at the political and social implications of martial arts and the connection between ritualized violence and the formation of national identity. Molle’s masterful tome opens our eyes to the immense potential of this field of academic inquiry.
— Alex Bennett, Kansai University
As the popularity of Krav Maga grows, it bears asking what relationship practitioners envision between the art, the state of Israel, and the Jewish people. Is Krav Maga merely seen as a highly efficacious means of defending oneself, or does aligning oneself with the art signify an ideological position? In asking questions such as these, Molle carves out a space for what he calls political hoplology. This book represents a much-needed addition to the growing field of martial arts studies by turning our attention to the ways in which martial arts not only have the potential to shape the identities of individual practitioners but may also affect how the public perceives the nations and ethnic groups that created or popularized those arts.
— Lauren Miller Griffith, Texas Tech University