Abstract

ROUSSELY, Véronique. «Playing for real»: The reality of physical engagement and fictional framework in confrontational games. Trace (Méx. DF) [online]. 2023, n.84, pp.60-87.  Epub Dec 11, 2023. ISSN 2007-2392.  https://doi.org/10.22134/trace.84.2023.871.

In the Zitlala region of Mexico, ritual fights take place several times a year in which the protagonists clash in pairs in a real exchange of blows without however seeking domination or physical annihilation of the opponent. From the study of this empirical case - far from being a regional singularity - we will, in this article, try to identify specific characteristics of these forms of confrontation by drawing inspiration from the notion of «play». We will then see how and to what extent these confrontations, clearly delimited in space and time, are not fictitious fights or simulacra but proceed from an authentic action within a fictional space which creates the conditions allowing the construction of another reality where the exchange of blows takes on a distinctive meaning.

Keywords : combat; fighting play; play; fictional framework; corporal experience.

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