The Embodiment of Social Life: Bodylore and the Kirkwall Ba' Game (Orkney,Scotland)

This paper focuses on the practice of playing folk football on Christmas Day and New Year's Day in Kirkwall, Orkney, and on the idea of “embodiment” in traditional games. The comparison of empirical data from field research with theoretical interpretations illuminates the embodiment processes in the Kirkwall Ba' game, giving evidence of the intricate interaction between three essential dimensions in bodylore: the individual, society, and the environment.