Personal self-defence in North America occupies a complex historical intersection, drawing on the techniques and philosophical traditions of Asian martial arts, World War II combatives, and core principles of situational awareness and avoidance. Today, self-defence has expanded into a multi-million-dollar industry offering diverse programs ranging from combative responses to “stranger danger” to educational sexual assault resistance initiatives.

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in self-defence classes alongside qualitative analysis of instructional media—including manuals, websites, videos, and expert commentaries—this paper examines the growing reliance on scientific and pseudo-scientific discourses (such as neuroscience, psychology, evolutionary biology, and evolutionary psychology) to legitimate self-defence methodologies. Specifically, it analyzes how these frameworks construct and enforce rigid distinctions between biological (“natural”) and social (“cultural”) forces of violence and defence, and investigates how these naturalized paradigms shape and are shaped by gendered and racialized affect, embodiment, and pedagogical practices.