The revival of interest in historical Western martial arts has focused a great deal of attention on the weapons of Scotland, especially of the Highlanders. Yet, despite all this enthusiasm for the martial arts of the Highland, few of those practicing have experienced genuine Gaelic culture - and without a cultural context, no practice of martial arts can be considered complete. Highland Martial Culture examines the nature of the Gaelic warrior class and its martial training; the Gaelic duel and how it differed from the duel in continental Europe; the phenomenon of wandering swordsmen in Highland society; the Highland conception of honor; internal aspects of martial arts practice such as mental tricks, traditional charms and spells used in warfare; unusual skills such as the fast draw; and health practices associated with the warrior class. This is your chance to find out more about the rich cultural heritage associated with the practice of Highland weapons.

The lessons in Highland Broadsword are designed to help you learn the fundamentals of broadsword fighting, with an emphasis on developing practical skills, not on exploring the esoteric details of broadsword fencing theory. In the first part of the book, Christopher Thompson—who is the author of Highland Knife Fighting and Highland Martial Culture , and runs the Cateran Society Broadsword Academy in Portland, Maine—instructs you in the essentials of Highland swordsmanship, including stances, grips, footwork, and blade actions. After you've mastered these skills, you can test what you've learned with the free fencing and bouting exercises found in part two before moving on to the disarm maneuvers and advanced fighting techniques in part three. Highland Broadsword can be used as a self-study guide by groups or by individuals with a training partner. While designed for the broadsword, the techniques in this manual also work with the backsword and singlestick. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the historical use of Highland weapons or in the Western martial arts in general.

This lively and erudite cultural history examines how Scottish identity was experienced and represented in novel ways.

"Matthew P. Dziennik has written a compelling account of the Scottish Highland soldier and his service in Great Britain's American colonies during the French and Indian War and America's Revolutionary War. In the middle to the late decades of the eighteenth century, the British state recruited more than twelve thousand soldiers from the Highlands of Scotland for the purpose of expanding and defending Britain's American empire, thereby transforming the most maligned region of the British Isles into a key sustainer of British imperialism. Dziennik's fascinating history corrects the mythologized image of the Highland soldier as a noble savage, a primitive if courageous relic of clanship, revealing instead how the Gaels used their military service to further their own interests in terms of material security and social status. Using both English and Gaelic sources, the author re-creates the experiences and the mindset of the Highland soldier in the New World and demonstrates in the process how a periphery of the British Isles became a center of the British Empire." -- [Tiré de la jaquette].

This book explores how and why Scottish Highlanders, Punjabi Sikhs, and Nepalese Gurkhas became identified as the British Empire’s fiercest, most manly soldiers in nineteenth century discourse. As ‘martial races’ these men were believed to possess a biological or cultural disposition to the racial and masculine qualities necessary for the arts of war. Because of this, they were used as icons to promote recruitment in British and Indian armies - a phenomenon with important social and political effects in India, in Britain, and in the armies of the Empire. Martial Races bridges regional studies of South Asia and Britain while straddling the fields of racial theory, masculinity, imperialism, identity politics, and military studies. Of particular importance is the way it exposes the historical instability of racial categories based on colour and its insistence that historically specific ideologies of masculinity helped form the logic of imperial defence, thus wedding gender theory with military studies in unique ways. Moreover, Martial Races challenges the marginalisation of the British Army in histories of Victorian popular culture, and demonstrates the army’s enduring impact on the regional cultures of the Highlands, the Punjab and Nepal. This unique study will make fascinating reading for higher level students and experts in imperial history, military history and gender history.

Presents major new research on gender in the Scottish EnlightenmentWhat role did gender play in the Scottish Enlightenment? Combining intellectual and cultural history, this book explores how men and women experienced the Scottish Enlightenment. It examines Scotland in a European context, investigating ideologies of gender and cultural practices among the urban elites of Scotland in the 18th century.The book provides an in-depth analysis of men's construction and performance of masculinity in intellectual clubs, taverns and through the violent ritual of the duel. Women are important actors in this story, and the book presents an analysis of women's contribution to Scottish Enlightenment culture, and it asks why there were no Scottish bluestockings.

Widely practiced but not always understood, the Filipino martial arts have a rich history and distinctive character that have not fully been documented until now. Written in the context of Philippine history and culture, Filipino Martial Culture uncovers the esoteric components of the Filipino martial arts and the life histories of the men who perpetuate them. Included are: the history of turbulence and war in the Philippines from prehistoric times to the present day; the culture of the Filipino martial arts, including warrior ethos and worldview, spirituality, folklore, and weaponry; biographical sketches of eighteen Filipino masters and descriptions of their respective fighting styles; and a comparative study of the ethos, ideology, and development of the Filipino martial arts in relation to the considerable martial traditions of India, China, and Japan. In the course of his research, internationally renowned martial arts master and scholar Mark V. Wiley traveled the globe, interviewing top masters and recording their life histories, thoughts, and anecdotes. In addition, he collected 320 historical photographs and illustrations, including step-by-step sequences of the masters demonstrating the distinctive techniques of their particular martial styles. A classic reference for practitioners and researchers alike, this Filipino martial arts book is as much a definitive anthropological textbook as it is a practical guide to Arnis, Kali, Eskrima, and the other martial arts of the Philippines.