MUHAMMAD ALI, AN OUTSIDER IN AMERICAN SOCIETY?

Abstract

The study analyses the career of the boxer Muhammad Ali according to the formulations on power relations in configurations presented by Norbert Elias. The aim was to understand how an athlete that was against such deep matters of the established society achieved professional success. It is a documental study, with sources such as books, articles and newspaper reports about the boxer’s life. The conclusion is that despite the fact that the boxer opposed established patterns for the time in issues such as religion, racism and patriotism, his above average skill, his self-promotion power and his ability to participate of the game in the configurational context in which he was inserted gave him survival conditions in the boxing world and consequent professional success.

Key-words: Muhammad Ali; Boxing; American Society; Configurations.