The Ambivalence of Strength – Women, Gender, and Power in Combat Sports

Bartoluci, Sunčica; Škerbić, Matija Mato

doi:10.21464/fi46107

Filozofska istraživanja, Vol. 46 No. 1, 2026.

Izvorni znanstveni članak

The Ambivalence of Strength – Women, Gender, and Power in Combat Sports

Sunčica Bartoluci orcid.org/0000-0001-5841-9400 ; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Kineziološki fakultet, Horvaćanski zavoj 15, HR–10000 Zagreb *
Matija Mato Škerbić orcid.org/0000-0003-0006-4533 ; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Fakultet hrvatskih studija, Borongajska cesta 83d, HR–10000 Zagreb

* Dopisni autor.

Puni tekst: hrvatski pdf 389 Kb

str. 113-131

preuzimanja: 0

citiraj

APA 6th Edition

Bartoluci, S. i Škerbić, M.M. (2026). The Ambivalence of Strength – Women, Gender, and Power in Combat Sports. Filozofska istraživanja, 46 (1), 131-131. https://doi.org/10.21464/fi46107

MLA 8th Edition

Bartoluci, Sunčica i Matija Mato Škerbić. "The Ambivalence of Strength – Women, Gender, and Power in Combat Sports." Filozofska istraživanja, vol. 46, br. 1, 2026, str. 131-131. https://doi.org/10.21464/fi46107. Citirano 09.10.2026.

Chicago 17th Edition

Bartoluci, Sunčica i Matija Mato Škerbić. "The Ambivalence of Strength – Women, Gender, and Power in Combat Sports." Filozofska istraživanja 46, br. 1 (2026): 131-131. https://doi.org/10.21464/fi46107

Harvard

Bartoluci, S., i Škerbić, M.M. (2026). 'The Ambivalence of Strength – Women, Gender, and Power in Combat Sports', Filozofska istraživanja, 46(1), str. 131-131. https://doi.org/10.21464/fi46107

Vancouver

Bartoluci S, Škerbić MM. The Ambivalence of Strength – Women, Gender, and Power in Combat Sports. Filozofska istraživanja [Internet]. 2026 [pristupljeno 09.10.2026.];46(1):131-131. https://doi.org/10.21464/fi46107

IEEE

S. Bartoluci i M.M. Škerbić, "The Ambivalence of Strength – Women, Gender, and Power in Combat Sports", Filozofska istraživanja, vol.46, br. 1, str. 131-131, 2026. [Online]. https://doi.org/10.21464/fi46107

Sažetak

Drawing on the concept of hegemonic masculinity, this article analyses the experiences of women in traditionally 'male' combat sports, wrestling and judo, focusing on bodily practices, sporting performances, and strategies of belonging within gender-hierarchised sporting spaces. Based on in-depth interviews with elite Croatian female wrestlers and judokas, the study demonstrates how sportswomen simultaneously challenge and reproduce the gender order of sport: on the one hand, by normalising the female body, strength and competitive competence, and on the other, by adapting to the norms of hegemonic masculinity and emphasising socially acceptable forms of femininity. The article concludes that sport functions as an ambivalent gendered field in which women act as agents of change, albeit within structural constraints that continuously shape and limit their scope for action.