The process of dissemination of kung fu in west – between sense of loss and inevitability loss of sense

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss aspects of the development process of Kung Fu in China and its subsequent spread to the West in the light of sociological theory of Norbert Elias. To meet this goal, we have structured the text into three parts. In the first, we present some elements of theory of Elias that are useful to study Kung Fu. In the second part of the article, in turn, bring some evidence about the Kung Fu diffusion process to the West, taking as a reading aid work “Shaolin Monastery” of Meir Shahar. The third and final part of the text, we suggest that the reception of Kung Fu in the West engenders a social process that combines elements of Chinese tradition and capitalist modernity, giving the practice a hybrid and ambiguous character.