Ungendered Interactions and the Practice of Aikido

In lieu of an abstract, here is the first paragraph: Although the martial arts are often understood as fundamentally patriarchal and male-dominated activities, it has been our experience that in the Japanese martial art called Aikido (pronounced, eye-key-dough) because of the unique philosophy and conditions of practice, gendered norms can be challenged. Our initial aim was to interrogate and depict the manner in which the gendered structure of a martial arts dojo framed and limited the experience for both women and men. However, during the course of writing this paper, we came to realize that, in fact, something unexpected and unanticipated regarding gender was taking place when we practiced Aikido. We have labeled this experience an “ungendered interaction.” We define ungendered interaction as a noncompetitive experience shaped by cooperation rather than domination that facilitates and depends on an awareness of the connection of energy (ki or chi) between participants that, in turn, leads to power that is neither masculine nor feminine. In such an interaction, the gendering of self that is enforced and structured on multiple levels of self and society becomes secondary while an experience apparently beyond gender can occur. In the process of examining the critical attributes of this concept, we challenge important assumptions regarding gendered bodies, opening new avenues of inquiry into the meaning and manifestations of “gender.”