Body & Soul: Notebooks of an Apprentice Boxer

by Loïc Wacquant

When French sociologist Loïc Wacquant signed up at a boxing gym in a black neighborhood of Chicago's South Side, he had never contemplated getting close to a ring, let alone climbing into it. Yet for three years he immersed himself among local fighters, amateur and professional. He learned the Sweet science of bruising, participating in all phases of the pugilist's strenuous preparation, from shadow-boxing drills to sparring to fighting in the Golden Gloves tournament. In this experimental ethnography of incandescent intensity, the scholar-turned-boxer fleshes out Pierre Bourdieu's signal concept of habitus, deepening our theoretical grasp of human practice. And he supplies a model for a "carnal sociology" capable of capturing "the taste and ache of action."

Body & Soul marries the analytic rigor of the sociologist with the stylistic grace of the novelist to offer a compelling portrait of a bodily craft and of life and labor in the black American ghetto at century's end.

Genres: Sociology, Anthropology, Nonfiction, Ethnography, Social Science, Academic, Martial Arts

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Loïc Wacquant is a sociologist, specializing in urban sociology, urban poverty, racial inequality, the body, social theory and ethnography.

Wacquant is currently a Professor of Sociology and Research Associate at the Earl Warren Legal Institute, University of California, Berkeley, where he is also affiliated with the Program in Medical Anthropology and the Center for Urban Ethnography, and Researcher at the 'Centre de sociologie européenne' in Paris. He has been a member of the Harvard Society of Fellows, a MacArthur Prize Fellow, and has won numerous grants including the Fletcher Foundation Fellowship and the Lewis Coser Award of the American Sociological Association.

Reviews

[Krystl Louwagie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2007 review:

This is an ethnography I had to read for my Anthropology class. It's a French man who goes into a boxing gym in a "black ghetto" to do his research. There are parts that are interesting, and the idea is very interesting-but the author uses about 10 words for every one he should and can't say anything directly. It seems if he could be more concise, the book could've been 2/3rds shorter and more enjoyable.

[Ben Coyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engrossing, insightful, and exhilarating case study on boxing and American culture. Wacquant’s attention to detail paints a visceral picture of the ghettos of chicago and their ties to the Sweet Science. My favorite insight into the sport is the “monastic devotion” required to succeed. It goes to show that to truly be successful in anything in life, one must dedicate themselves to that thing. I found myself wanting to put the book down, go run around my block, and do some sit-ups.

The sociological slant of this text highlighted how those in poor urban settings are predisposed to the skills and cultural fits needed for success in boxing. This is a concept I never would have considered, and allowed me a refreshed perspective on my own upbringing and privilege.

While I’ve never found myself wanting to become a boxer, this intimate recording about the sport was nothing short of inspiring, and I won’t look at a boxing match the same way again.

[Richard Wolff · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is awful writing - pretentious and cliched. What's more, the author takes every opportunity to make himself the subject, particularly when he can reference a compliment paid to him by those who trained him, making this as much of an ego-driven work as a scholarly focus on its subject. The analysis ranges from interesting to obvious. Why not instead read Trimbur's "Come Out Swinging," a far superior and intriguing ethnography of a boxing gym; her book is much better written, with first-rate analysis, and an appropriate focus on its subject rather than the author. As for "Body and Soul" - skip it.

[James Kenniff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll say this book has an electrifying quality in its opening pages that shows a refreshing respect for the hobby and its pursuit in Woodlawn, though I remain unsure his ingratiation as experiment and then personal gain does the men of the gym any substantive good.

I understood it often as a frighteningly harsh reflection of my own writing: particularly his use of loaded vocab to allude to more complicated ideas without real content delivery, arguably stepping over his subjects and their identification or real representation in the work. While white authors’ transliteration of AAVE is pretty universally distasteful, it may undergird one of the book’s core strengths (showing its rather weak legs): its extensive quoting of exchanges between DeeDee, Curtis, Eddie and other Black South Siders, generally reflecting their voice with a fullness I’m sure some Harvard sociologists could benefit from reading. When his conversation falls flat, though, it falls hard, particularly Loic’s soothing of a nervous 15-year-old girl in the back seat when Curtis is about to take her home to DeeDee’s dismay. Dude.

He does focus a lot on himself, opening with his explanation of how his Frenchness allowed him to get in with these Black men because they don’t have racism, and ending on Curtis calling him a “soul brother” that’s somehow supposed to make us feel satisfied. Generally, though, it’s a good book and I think worth reading to see a bit about what being Black in Woodlawn’s like, a lot more about boxing and the blindspots of the most revered contemporary academics of the “ghetto”.

[Javier Calle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro que me ha gustado por la forma en la que, en paralelo, te explica la grandeza del boxeo y los sacrificios y penurias de la gente por dedicarse a ello y cómo funcionaba la sociedad en los guetos negros de Chicago en a finales de los 80. Para ello usa como hilo conductor el funcionamiento de un gimnasio al que se apuntó el autor, haciéndote ver de una forma natural y en primera persona ambos mundos.
La pega que le pondría es que al final se hace un poco pesado de leer.

[Che · Rating 1 out of 5]

Libro de lectura obligada en una asignatura de mi carrera, etnografía y estudio sociológico de Wacquant en el que para entender a un grupo de jóvenes de un gueto negro de un barrio de Chicago, en el que el único medio para evadirse del entorno hostil del barrio, se lo proporciona el gimnasio, donde practican el boxeo, donde transforman la violencia callejera en una práctica deportiva controlada, su autor se introduce como uno más en el gimnasio para vivirlo desde sus propias carnes , "el boxeo solo se entiende boxeando".
Como estudio sociológico me ha mostrado como un grupo de jóvenes se enfrentan a las drogas, la violencia, desempleo y todo lo que conlleva convivir en un barrio devastado por la desigualdad social, pero como lectura, nunca sería elegida por mi, como suele ocurrir cuando la lectura es impuesta, por regla general no es atractiva para el lector y eso es lo que me ha ocurrido a mí con este libro, al margen de lo que socialmente me pueda enseñar, no me gusta el boxeo, me resulta algo muy violento y no puedo entender ese deporte por mucho que su autor me lo haya explicado desde dentro. Pero como bien he dicho anteriormente, el boxeo solo se entiende boxeando, así que nunca lo llegaré a entender, ni tampoco a los que lo practican.

[Rocha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent ethnography and probably the best book I ever read about my favorite sport.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the author was writing about his personal experiences training in the gym as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses of life as an inner-city boxer, the writing very captivating.
Fortunately this was about 80% of the book.
Unfortunately for the other 20%, he put on his sociology/psychology hat on and went a little too over the top with his diction. I felt like I was witnessing someone challenging Noah Webster to a championship game of scrabble.
Along with this, his writing tended to be very long-winded.
In one particular passage, there was one sentence that contained 178 words (yes, I went back and counted) which contained 19 commas.
I prefer the KISS principle instead.
Fortunately this was a small portion of the book so I'm still giving it a high mark as most of it was very solid.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Il gym è anche e soprattutto una macchina dei sogni". Ritengo che Wacquant abbia fatto un ottimo lavoro nel descrivere, con una minuzia di particolari che solo chi ha vissuto l'ambiente della palestra di pugilato sa essere rilevanti, i tratti salienti di una boxe che potremmo definire "di strada", dato il contesto sociale in cui il "Woodlawn Boys Club" era inserito. Con una scrittura che non esclude l'utilizzo di vezzi letterari, l'autore riesce a riportare le sensazioni vissute in quell'ambiente, dividendo la sua ricerca in tre sezioni: la palestra e il suo rapporto col ghetto, l'incontro di un compagno di allenamento e le dinamiche sociali che lo circondano, una parte autobiografica dove descrive il suo primo (e ultimo) incontro, diventando, infine, "One of DeeDee's boys".

[João Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Em termos etnográficos, me fez lembrar da experiência que tive ao ler Outsiders, do Becker. A questão de ambos terem se mergulhado em algo que molda e solidifica relações entre grupos marginalizados, e a forma como eles exploraram questões como vício, relações com o corpo e relações interpessoais e sociais me fascinou bastante. No entanto, não sei se pelo tema do boxe, não consegui me prender ao livro de Wacquant da mesma forma que ao de Becker, principalmente nas partes subsequentes à apresentação metodológica em que ele narra alguns episódios marcantes de sua vivência e pelos quais fiz apenas uma leitura dinâmica. Ainda assim, esta é de fato uma leitura divertida e interessante.

[Yusuf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Habitus kavramının refleksif boyutunu anla(t)mak için boks gibi bir spordan daha iyi bir örnek/metafor olamaz muhtemelen. Kitap bu açıdan bir kavramın pratiğini çok iyi anlatıyor.

Bir etnografi olarak fazla yazar ve mekan (boks salonu) merkezli denebilir. Chicago'nun Güney Mahallesi'ni daha detaylı anlatabilirdi. Ama "X de olabilirdi" şeklindeki dışsal eleştirinin sonu olmaz. Dolayısıyla onu geçelim.

Mekanı ve insanları betimleme konusunda çok başarılı. Okurken roman gibi okunuyor. Gayet eğlenceli ve akıcı.

[DimitrisSphynx · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended by my supervisor as a great read in terms of methodology and it definitely is - the epitome of carnal ethnography, of studying the topic through your flesh and mind. It feels it could provide a more structured account of boxing, but it's still great. That's basically the "first book". The second and third feel are rather non-fiction than sociology, but still an exciting read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the second half of the book much more than the first. Wacquant's analysis of "the ghetto" seemed overstated and tired. Maybe that's the translation and just sociology of the 1990s. The more narrative sections were more enjoyable. I wonder how differently I would feel about this book if I could read the original French.

[astrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read most but admittedly not all of this, however, going to list it here anyway - I found the first section the most interesting and the second a bit tedious, but nevertheless still a fascinating exploration of boxing in the Chicago South Side and phenomenological soc/anth.

[Neo Rincón · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disfruté mucho el cómo Wacquant se pasea por diferentes caminos su experiencia con boxeo. Se nota que lo amó, y creo que eso lo llevó a querer dejar demasiado en las páginas, por eso le doy 3 estrellas, porque a mi juicio le sobran unas cuantas.

[Hakan Sipahioğlu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elindeki malzemeden olabildiğince çok makale çıkarmak için eksik bırakılmış bir kitap.

https://okumadansonra.blogspot.com/20...

[Cristina Barrial Berbén · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siempre será mi etnografía favorita.

[Beth MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a class and I loved every second of it.

[Mario Guerrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

fantástica monográfica

Las descripciones de las experiencias del cuerpo son de lo más enriquecedoras

[Sophia Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

for sociology

[Türkay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruh ve Beden: Acemi Bir Boksörün Defterleri, yazarın Chivago'nun yoksul mahallerinde gerçekleştirmek istediği etnografik bir çalışma için, bölgedeki insanlarla tanışma amacıyla bir boks salonuna kayıt olmasıyla başlayan bir hikayeyi ele alıyor.

Salondaki çalışmalar sırasında boks, spor, bedenle kurulan ilişki, çevreyle ilişki vs. derken, çalışmasının önemli bir kısmını boks konusunun oluşturduğunu fark eden Loic Wacquant, bu notları kitaplaştırmaya karar veriyor.

Boks konusunda çok öğretici bilgiler içeren, keyifli bir etnografik çalışma...

[Sevé Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loic takes you into the world of boxing in his stunning first hand account of two years spent learning the Sweet science. Enough to reinvigorate and broaden anyone's understanding of sociology and it's potential for dealing with the insitution, the individual, the collective, and in the words of Wacquant's mentor "doxa, habitus, and various capitals." It is with great pleasure that I recommend this book to anyone interested in boxing; and tangentially, anyone who is interested in body/mind antimonies in active enviroments of any kind.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

non credo si possa acquistare questo libro "per caso", visto che si presenta come un vero e proprio saggio sul pugilato nel ghetto di chicago.
Loic ci mette davvero "anima e corpo" nel tirare fuori un testo saggistico ma avvicente come un romanzo, una storia vera pronta per un film. Bellissime le fotografie che corredano il testo.
Personalmente la scintilla che mi ha "lanciato" nel mondo della boxe.
da leggere.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lettura per corso universitario di antropologia. L'ho torvato molto interessante e coinvolgente. Il mondo della boxe mi affascinava prima della lettura, ma Wacquant offre una visione partecipata e trascina il lettore con lui. Il primo capitolo è, a mio parere, il più interessante in quanto si presenta maggiormente come un saggio antropologico con diversi riferimenti ed analisi alle diverse teorie.
Consiglio anche a chi non è familiare con l'antropologia o la boxe.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combine the best of George Plimpton, Pierre Bordieu (a friend of Wacquant's, actually), Samuel Fussell, and Michel Foucault, and you'll get this astonishing observer/participant study. One of the five best "academic" books I've ever read, and quite possibly the best nonfiction book I've read in the past half-decade. An indispensable work, a masterpiece.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting view into the world of boxing through a sociological lens. I think that Louie relied a lot on his own experience to justify which he was writing about, which was kind of disappointing. Although, he did supplement it with quotes from conversations with fellow boxers at the gym.

[Juliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at ethnography, and at a world I know nothing about. I still have zero interest in boxing, but it's a fascinating read nonetheless.

[Tricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

had to read this for a class. I don't care for this book too much- on the other hand, i felt tough sitting on the public bus holding to my face a book about boxing.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not for a student audience -- very interesting, very intellectual, and very provocative. I like experimental ethnography -- I think we could use more of it.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting ethnography but is also quite dated at this point. The uncritical use of “black ghetto” and the like is off-putting in 2022.