A new episode of the Tai Chi Notebook podcast is out, featuring Paul Bowman.

Click the link above, or you’ll find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Search for The Tai Chi Notebook.

Paul Bowman is a professor of cultural studies at Cardiff University. He’s the author of multiple books on martial arts, including several about Bruce Lee, and most recently, “The invention of martial arts: popular culture between Asia and America”, which was published by Oxford University press in 2020.

Paul also helped establish the academic journal Marital Arts Studies, and organised conferences for the Martial Arts Studies Research Network.

In this chat we reminisce about our times training together, talk about paul’s recent discovery of Brazilian jiujutsu and discuss the emergent field of martial arts studies.

Show notes:

10.15: The Bruce Lee period
Theorizing Bruce Lee: Film-Fantasy-Fighting-Philosophy
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Theorizing-Bruce-Lee-Film-Fantasy-Fighting-Philosophy-Contemporary/dp/9042027770/ref=sr_1_1

Beyond Bruce Lee: Chasing the Dragon Through Film, Philosophy, and Popular Culture 1 Mar. 2013
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond-Bruce-Lee-Chasing-Philosophy/dp/0231165293/ref=sr_1_1

16.00: I am Bruce Lee, the movie
https://vimeo.com/96517261

17.30: Marital Arts Studies
https://mas.cardiffuniversitypress.org/

22.40: Understanding Identity Through Martial Arts, with Prof Adam Frank
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BZb3WjosTs

23.53: On How to Talk about Taekwondo, with Professor Paul Bowman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cALt0O3Y5_s

31.05: The invention of martial arts
On The Invention of Martial Arts with Prof Paul Bowman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOyAllbfYsM
The Invention of Martial Arts: Popular Culture Between Asia and America 24 Feb. 2021
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invention-Martial-Arts-Popular-Culture/dp/0197540341/ref=sr_1_1

44.50: David Carradine – No Limitations Be Anything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q85cV3GOMw

55.00: Comedy and honour around martial arts styles
Are Filipino Martial Arts Realistic? | Master Ken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiuTGP-jnT8

Sensei Seth: If Every Martial Arts Style Taught Each Other
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGo2_f50GLo