The Body in Society: An Introduction - Softcover

Howson, Alexandra

Softcover

ISBN 10: 074562538X ISBN 13: 9780745625386

Publisher: Polity, 2004

Synopsis

This book is a lively and highly accessible introduction to the sociology of the body. It examines what certain aspects of our bodies, such as the size, shape, smell and demeanor, reveal about the social organization of everyday life and how the body is crucial to the way we engage with the world and the people around us.
* Accessible introduction to the complex topic of the sociology of the body.

* Examines what certain aspects of our bodies, such as the size, shape, smell and demeanor, reveal about the social organization of everyday life.

* Introduces students to the key theoretical perspectives and conceptual frameworks which help us to understand the social significance of the human body.

* Uses examples with which readers will have familiarity, such as eating and sleeping.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

This new book is a lively and highly accessible introduction to the sociology of the body. In everyday life we are not, for the most part, actively conscious of our bodies or the bodies of others – we simply take them for granted. The Body in Society examines what certain aspects of our bodies, such as the size, shape, smell and demeanor, reveal about the social organization of everyday life and how the body is crucial to the way we engage with the world and the people around us.

The human body is endowed with varied forms of social significance, and it is this which sociology has addressed by asking questions such as: To what degree do individuals have control over their own bodies? What interest does the state have in regulating the human body? How significant is the body to the development and performance of the self in everyday life? What images of the body influence people's expectations of themselves and others? Written in a clear and comprehensible way, The Body in Society introduces students to the key theoretical perspectives and conceptual frameworks that help us to understand the social significance of the human body. Using familiar examples from everyday life, such as diet and exercise regimes, personal hygiene, dress, displays of emotion, and control over bodily functions, coupled with examples from contemporary popular culture, the text has strong contemporary relevance and will strike a chord with all who read it.

This book will be essential reading for students taking courses on the body in sociology, anthropology, gender studies and cultural studies.

About the Author:

Alexandra Howson Lecturer in Sociology, University of Abertay, Dundee

About this edition

• Publisher: Polity
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 074562538X
• ISBN 13: 9780745625386
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208