Outlaw Emotions: Gender, Emotion and Transformation in Women’s Self-Defence Training

Abstract

Thirty women stand in a circle in a large room at the university’s recreation centre. The room is lined with padded mats; sunlight filters through the high windows. The women look nervous: many have their arms crossed or held protectively around their bodies; others stand on one leg, making themselves smaller. There is occasional quiet talking, punctuated by long moments of anxious silence.