The global diffusion, glocal refraction and local reinvention of Taijiquan in the context of multiple reflexive modernities

The objective of the article is twofold, theoretically, we combine established notions of global diffusion, Roudometof’s (2016, 2019) concepts of glocal refraction and place-making and Elliot’s (2013) idea of reinvention along with elements of practice theory to configure a view of global diffusion, glocal refraction and local reinvention. We present these as simultaneous, interconnected and mutually informing yet analytically distinct cultural processes occurring in the contexts of multiple reflexive modernities. Empirically, the paper applies this framework to provide a documentary analysis of the evolving “state/condition/quality” of contemporary Taijiquan observable today. In this way, Taijiquan is used to illustrate and develop our theoretical interpretation, while also being illuminated by it. We conclude that Taijiquan is a malleable, living, evolving art that is reinvented through daily practice, carried by the practitioners’ bodies and enabled and constrained by the material localities and cultures in which it finds itself. Despite increasing heterogeneity and individualisation, Taijiquan appears to retain a degree of symbolic homogeneity, made possible by an apparent shift in Taijiquan as a set of relatively fixed practices to Taijiquan becoming a more fluid physical cultural concept. We conclude that, while addition development is needed, this original combination of processes may aid the simultaneous exploration of cultural hybridization, homogenization and individualization in a range of (physical) cultural practices and sports beyond Taijiquan