In October of 2021, 可乐视频 Associate Professor of听Anthropology听Katherine (Katie Rose) Hejtmanek听joined colleagues Melissa Forbis, adjunct professor of anthropology at 可乐视频, and Noelle Brigden, associate professor of political science at Marquette University along with eight other women scholars to take part in a three-day workshop,听听hosted by the University of Notre Dame.
鈥淪trength sports have been conventionally connected to masculinity,鈥� says Hejtmanek. 鈥淲e are critiquing those sports鈥攑ower lifting, weightlifting, strongman, and CrossFit鈥攆rom a feminist perspective.鈥� With the lion鈥檚 share of the scholarship focusing on female as well as transgender experiences, the contributions come from a range of disciplines, including gender studies, English and rhetoric, political science, kinesiology, and anthropology. For example, Cara Ocobock, assistant professor of Anthropology and affiliated faculty in Gender Studies at Notre Dame, is a biological anthropologist who studies human extremes.
A forthcoming volume of the same name as the conference will include the scholarship鈥攔eviewed and edited at the workshop鈥攂y the 11 conference participants. Hejtmanek鈥檚 contribution is as an editor and the co-author of the introduction and conclusion, as well a chapter on masculinity, U.S. militarism, and branded functional fitness. 鈥淚n CrossFit there is something called a Hero Workout of the Day (WOD), which is a tribute to a member of the military who died in the line of duty, mostly men and many in the war on terror,鈥� says Hejtmanek. 鈥淪o instead of running a 5k or playing a basketball game or whatever, you鈥檙e doing 鈥淢urph鈥� [for your workout].鈥�
