Introduction: Positioning Martial Arts in the Nexus of Latin Societies

Martial arts research and scholarship – or “martial arts studies” in English – is a global, multilingual and interdisciplinary enterprise studying global fighting systems. Latin societies are those counties, former colonial territories, and provinces that speak or are heavily influenced by a Latin-derived, Romance language (most notably French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish) and follow a predominantly Roman Catholic faith. These societies therefore include regions such as Latin Europe, Latin America, and the Philippines. The martial arts and combat sports (MACS) originating from and practised within Latin societies have not been studied as systematically as those from other regions of the world (such as Asia). This is in spite of the rich diversity, cultural importance, and popularity of fighting arts from these communities, from the globalised Afro-Brazilian Capoeira to the colourful and flamboyant Mexican Lucha Libre, and from the politicised Italian Boxe Popolare to historical Spanish Fencing and its influence on modern Filipino martial arts. In this editorial introduction chapter, we outline the history and meaning of the “Latin” concept that binds the collection while providing an overview of MACS in these regions in relation to colonialism, globalisation, and preservation, before signposting each of the authors’ contributions to the book.