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Archetti's masculinities, June 21, 2002
Eduardo Archetti's book, Masculinities: Football, Polo, and the Tango in Argentina, is the anthropological study of generalizations in Argentine society and how those are used to build a nationality. The theme of hybridization runs throughout his book as he examines how through the mixing of different cultures, a unique identity could be formed. He looks at sporting as an example of this. His conclusion is that through each activity Argentina was able to give something to the world or to themselves. Through Football Argentineans created their own style; In Polo, they were able to export their ponies; and through the poetry of the Tango they were able to embody the Argentine man's moralities. The bulk of his research was done through conversations with informants and historical references such as newspapers and men's magazines. He desires to focus on the masculinities of the nation, but does not draw any concrete conclusions to the questions he asks. Overall, one gets a sense of nationalism and Argentinean identity through the book
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hybridizing Sport and Dance Into National Identity, June 19, 2002
This book examines the historical role of the male in Argentina, a country of tradition and immigration, the combination of which Archetti terms "hybridization." Filtering these themes through the examples of the man-man relationship in football, the man-horse relationship in polo, and the man-woman relationship in the tango, he tries to find the national identity of the Argentine man and establish his place on the international stage. Archetti first introduces the idea of hybridization, tracing modern Argentine social makeup from the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century, which created the traditional Creole culture, through the European immigration of the early to mid 20th century, the environment in which football, polo, and the tango were all hybridized into something distinctly Argentine in style. Examining first football, he traces the "Argentine style" of creativity, especially dribbling, to the barrios, or small neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, where boys learn the game on the streets. This style matured into the individualistic football of the Argentinean national team, which came to be a world power, exportable to Europe. Polo, the game of the elite, is reviewed in similar terms. Archetti notes the importance of the Gaucho, the Argenine cowboy, in the development of polo jockeys and ponies. He then develops the idea of masculine moralitites in Argentine society, and ties them into the male-female relationship displayed in the tango, which developed in the early 20th century in Buenos Aires cabarets. Returning to football, the most important aspect of masculinity and nationalism in the book, Archetti looks at the male pride in the national team, especially their style and aesthetics inplay, and illustrates the individual's reaction to team performance. Using the example of Maradona, Argentina's most famous footballer, he asserts that the ideal male is a pibe, a boy, who through exceptional football skill, need never grow up on the field or off. The book is the product of years of careful research, aided by several close "informants." Its focus on primary sources, with which the reader will not necessarily be familiar, and its insistence on quoting these sources at length, make for a sometimes dry read. Archetti succeeds in creating a better understanding of the male in football, polo, and the tango, as they developed in a country of hybridization and strong nationalism. The book is a success, then, in its academic aims, and excellent as a source for intense research, but tough to grasp and thick to wade through as a casual reader.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Review of Archetti's Masculinities, June 18, 2002
By A Customer
In his book, Eduardo P. Archetti uncovers how the national identity of Argentina is displayed through males participating in football, polo, and the tango. Archetti, along with being a native of Argentina, is an anthropologist. He chose to search out the answers to all of his questions simply by asking them to other Argentinean males. Archetti then puts this book together using the material he gained from the interviews he conducted. Besides piecing together the book by placing many of the actual interviews in it, he includes the histories of football, polo, and the tango, as well as a biographical account of Maradona, a former player on the Argentina national football team. The book contains an introduction and two sections. Each of the three sections are divided up into approximately four parts. The introduction discusses the framework and the perspectives of the book. The first section focuses on how hybridization plays a key role in determining the national identity of Argentina. Archetti unveils in the later chapters of this first section the history of Argentinean football and polo. He then tells of how hybridity evolved within the realm of Argentinean sport and helped with the development of style and national image. The second section of the book is dedicated to the issue of masculinities and moralities in Argentinean football and the tango. Archetti talks about how the tango allowed for women to "step out" of their traditional roles, and how the lyrics of the tango express Argentina's national character. He finally tells of how Maradona, "the most famous contemporary Argentinean football star", had masculine tendencies and morals that depicted the ultimate Argentinean pibe (182). Archetti's book was full of detail and quite interesting. However, he could have gone about presenting his material differently. He asked questions and did not answer them until further on into the book. As a reader, I found this method quite confusing. At the conclusion of the book, it was unclear to me if several of his questions were even answered. He should have answered his questions in a more orderly manner. Archetti did do a fabulous job explaining how the tango has evolved over time and has, in a sense, been a script for how Argentineans are feeling and what they are dealing with. This issue can therefore be further explored, and it can be discovered how the tango is currently evolving and how it continues to help shape the identity of Argentina.
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