RINGSIDE STORIES: LIVES EXPERIENCES AND IDENTITIES OF MUAY THAI BOXERS

Abstract

Ringside Stories' is an ethnographic project which tells the story of muay thai (Thai boxing) from the point-of-view of the boxers. By adopting Ortner's concept of 'Serious Games', this project seeks to examine the rituals of everyday living for the boxers. This thesis starts off by examining dominant representations of the boxer- in which they are portrayed as possessing the inherent traits of warrior-spirit, toughness and heroism- and argues that while dominant representations have the power to define and regulate people and societies, they are not entirely hegemonic as people can resist and challenge them. Thus, this thesis will show how the boxers, on the one hand, try to grapple with dominant discourses, and on the other, take meaningful action in charting their own lives. This is achieved by examining firstly, the kinds of intentional action which boxers can take to fulfil their desires, goals and projects; secondly, the kinds of constraints that the structure imposes on the boxers; thirdly, the creative strategies they take in overcoming these problems; and fourthly, the ways in which boxers contest and rework meanings and categories. Additionally, this thesis also argues that dominant representations portray boxers in a one-sided manner, and thus seeks to overcome this problem by showing the multiplicity of experiences and realities in the boxers' lives. It is the contention of this thesis that muay thai is not a cultural form which consists of certain intrinsic meanings, but is one that gives rise to the creation of meanings by differentlysituated actors.