Paper Short Abstract:

The paper explores an emerging play community, the practitioners of Martial Arts around the globe. Based on my fieldwork at a Scottish HEMA club, I aim to discuss how this self-motivated group sustain itself and grows, and why people practise HEMA even though it can be a risky combat sport.

Paper Abstract:

In this paper, I will explore the Historical European Martial Art (HEMA), a globally practised combat sport, through an ethnographic study in Elgin, Scotland. Focusing on the new local HEMA swordplay club, The Elgin Broadsword Society (EBS), I examine how this ‘rediscovered,’ ‘reinvented,’ and ‘lost’ martial art is practised locally in North-East Scotland. I will discuss the practice of HEMA at EBS, highlighting the important role of pain and bodylore in codifying and regulating the practices of HEMA in this newly formed club, which has developed a unique ‘Chevalerie-like’ ethos.

For some practitioners, HEMA blurs the boundaries between history, imagination, and reality. An interesting observation from the fieldwork is how HEMA has encouraged club members with different heritages to study historical sources and collect swords, beyond the martial practice itself. While practitioners clearly acknowledge that they do not need sword-fighting techniques in the 21st century and that some aspects of HEMA are ahistorical, they view HEMA as an alternative way to experience ‘realistic’ history by wearing armour and swinging swords. To an extent, they are also ‘performing HEMA’ for themselves, as HEMA help them transcend normal life.

To summarise, this study aims to demonstrate that HEMA is more than a combat sport but a cultural practice with profound social implications, offering alternative ways of relating and understanding within the community. By situating HEMA within the broader context of embodied practices, this paper contributes to our understanding of their impact on everyday life in the late capitalism era.