Introduction. Combat sports and martial arts: Sociocultural changes and engagement in practice

Combat sports and martial arts stand out in the field of physical and sporting practices, while constituting a rich and varied set of disciplines that is fully in line with the culture of the societies in which they develop. Studies in the humanities and social sciences on combat sports and martial arts have been renewed in the twenty-first century, emphasizing the interest of comprehensive and critical approaches and the plurality of contemporary issues that cross them, such as health, identity transformations related to gender, or the emergence of a new relationship to the body, to society, or to nature. The development of combat sports and martial arts on various continents testifies to the sociocultural changes that are marking contemporary societies, while contributing to them in a unique way. These practices result in a singular relationship to the body, to fellow martial artists, to other social groups, even to spirituality, and more broadly to the social norms on which a given discipline depends on and which they contribute to changing. Several new studies illustrate these processes by focusing on the social inclusion of minorities, the quest for social ascent through sport, the relationship to the body and to spirituality, the impact of gender norms on the practices of women and their relationship to emotions, violence, and aggressiveness. These studies thus question and shed light on engagement in these practices from the perspective of the practitioners' motives and the conditions of their access to combat sports and martial arts.