Description
Book SynopsisGreat to have a new edition - this is essential reading and provides a clear, accessible yet original overview of social theory and the body.
- Sarah Nettleton, University of YorkLucidly argued and accessibly written, this book avoids the pitfalls of either too much naturalism or too much social constructivism. It is a book with something for everyone, from the classics in social theory on the body to contemporary bodily phenomena like genetics, body modification, and cultural anxieties about death.
- Kathy Davis, Utrecht UniversityUnrivalled in its clarity and coverage, this sparkling new edition of Chris Shilling's classic text is a masterful account of the emergence and development of body matters in sociology and related disciplines.
A timely, well reasoned response to current concerns and controversies across the globe, it provides chapter-by-chapter coverag
Trade Review
In The Body and Social Theory Chris Shilling has built on his expertise in the sociology of the body to provide a canonical treatment of the subject that he renders with theoretical depth and clarity of prose, making this book invaluable.
Jaqueline Low
University of New Brunswick, Canada
Lucidly argued and accessibly written, this book makes a convincing case for an embodied sociology which avoids the pitfalls of either too much naturalism or too much social constructivism. It is a book with something for everyone, from the classics in social theory on the body to contemporary bodily phenomena like genetics, body modification, and cultural anxieties about death.
Kathy Davis
Utrecht University
With many new additions, both substantive and theoretical, this volume is at the forefront of body studies. Written in a crisp and concise manner, it is an authoritative and invaluable contribution.
Bryan S. Turner
The Graduate Centre, CUNY
Table of ContentsPreface to the Third Edition Introduction The Body in Sociology The Naturalistic Body The Socially Constructed Body The Body and Social Inequalities: Embodying Sociology The Body and Physical Capital The Civilized Body The Body, Self-Identity and Death: Figurations of Life and Death Afterword: Embodiment, Identity and Theory Absent-Present Bodies The Body and Self-Identity Body Theories and Corporeal Realism
