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In this article, we rethink the ways that analysis within narrative research might occur based on the topic being studied and provide an example using the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira. Locating our work at the intersection of Derridean freeplay and the spirit of play present in the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira, we reconceive of the ways that narratives may be constructed, and suggest that the topic under study, capoeira, may actually become an analytic. This piece offers one of many potential directions for rethinking analysis of narrative data and representing participant experiences and suggests blurring lines between content and method of analysis. While our own analysis occurs using play as it appears in capoeira, we suggest that any number of research topics may be used to inform the ways that we analyze data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Capoeira is a martial art that is said to have arisen out of the colonial encounter in Brazil. Forbidden from practicing martial arts, the enslaved Africans supposedly added music to their training and disguised it as dance, an artful subterfuge sustaining their hopes that they might one day be able to escape from bondage. Regardless of this story's veracity, it has become a foundational tale that practitioners in the United States reference as justification for a variety of social justice efforts they undertake as capoeiristas. This article introduces the concept of affective habitus as a way of thinking about how membership in a serious leisure community alters the ways in which individuals relate to the world around them, offering hope that the capoeirista's affective habitus might disrupt white supremacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Problem. Globalization is creating new opportunities and challenges for scholars of martial arts. As instruction in specific martial forms extends beyond the boundaries of where such forms were developed, questions may arise about practitioners' legitimacy. Travel to the source of an art or sport is one way to address these concerns - learning under the tutelage of a local master and being accepted by local martial artists confirms the foreigner's identity as a legitimate bearer of that tradition. This is a phenomenon called apprenticeship pilgrimage. The present article examines the practices of non-Brazilian capoeiristas who make pilgrimages to Brazil for the purpose of training with a local master. Method. An online survey-building tool (diagnostic survey) was used. 30 individuals participated in the survey, however only 19 of them had actually traveled to Brazil. Eleven of them were males and eight were females. Results and Conclusion. Survey results confirm that the majority of capoeira pilgrims are satisfied with their journeys and with the interactions they have with local capoeiritas; however, there is some variability in this regard based on gender. Furthermore, the relationships pilgrims form with other non-Brazilians may be just as important as those they form with local capoeiristas, suggesting that the transnational relationships formed during apprenticeship pilgrimages should be an area of study for scholars interested in the various mobilities of martial artists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]