Dall’antropologo da tavolino a quello da tastiera. L’antropologia senza etnografia? Dal Lago, A. (2022) Sangue nell’ottagono. Antropologia delle arti marziali miste. Bologna: Il Mulino

Sangue nell’ottagono is an anthropological study oft he “global show” of mixed martial arts. Alessandro Dal Lago, one of the most influential Italian sociologists of recent decades, explores both the overt and the “implicit and subcutaneous” meanings and representations of such a hyper-violent performance. In doing so, he adopts an anthropological perspective (and some influential anthropological theories) while “proudly” rejecting ethnography as a useful methodology for understanding both the “front stage” and “backstage” moments of MMA fights. The result is a semiotic and speculative analysis of the inherent messages of professional MMA shows that overlooks the ways in which these “messages” are continually “coded” and “decoded” by the different subjects –and people –involved. Is “anthropological” research possible without understanding how meanings are dialectically produced and negotiated at a local level?