The Sardinian murra: A duel with no contact

Murra, a traditional game still widely practiced in Sardinia, consists in two opponents trying to guess the sum of the fingers that they show each other simultaneously. They compete against each other at a fast pace, shouting abuse in between rounds in an attempt to intimidate each other. The excitement created by the matches, but also by the reaffirmation of a subordinated identity and by the expression of a masculinity called into question by globalization, fosters the bodily, social, and cultural dimension of murra, midway between a game and a fight.