Summary Of Wacquant's Body And Soul

In Loic Wacquant’s ethnographic book titled Body & Soul, Wacquant immerses himself into the sport of boxing at an urban Chicago boxing gym in a ghetto town named Woodlawn. Throughout this ethnographic research, he undergoes the physical challenges of learning the highly demanding sport of boxing. In his research, he discovers a complex relationship of symbiosis and opposition between the “streets” of the ghetto neighborhood and the “gym”. In Wacquant’s study, he points to the symbiosis at the gym by comparing the rules of the gym to rules of the neighborhood. By learning self-defense, he finds a relationship between the “logic of practice” and scholarly knowledge. Practicing at the gym is a way to refine the boxer’s innate aggression. Out

In his explanation of symbiosis between the gym and the streets, he discusses the functional homology that occurs between the gym and the street. He says the objective social relations of the neighborhood predisposes the men to find meaning and value at the boxing gym which coincidentally, prevents them from committing crimes and keeps them off the streets. The men develop self-discipline and learn to harness their street qualities. In one way, the gym is provided as a temporary sanctuary or safe haven from the predatory street

Here, he admits that the social order at the gym is apparent, similar to the egalitarian order in the outside world in which those who work hard and pay off their dues can get through life’s hardships while those who do not, cannot move forward. At the gym, they call those who are weak “crawlers” and other’s “sluggers”. As he immerses himself in the sport, he internalizes the gym’s character and undergoes the physical challenges of learning the highly demanding sport. Part of this challenge is learning to build iron self-discipline at the gym. “Iron discipline” refers to strong determination in one self. In the case of the gym, Coach Dee Dee is the one who is in charge and supervises others in making sure that they are following the rules and procedures to maintain order in oneself. Hence, the rules of the gym are stricter than that of the neighborhood. Criminal activities are prohibited and men there are constantly monitored. They are expected to have proper sportsmanship and are expected to learn the hidden curriculum by obeying the rules and embodying the traits of an ideal