Description
Book SynopsisOffers a look at the emergence of the study of the body. From prenatal genetic testing and 'manscaping' to televideo cybersex and the 'meth economy', this work digs into contemporary lifestyles and events to cover key concepts and theories about the body.
Trade Review"The attention on the body has been growing in the academic discourse over the last years, and The Body Reader...contributes to it greatly." * Metapsychology Online Reviews *
"The Body Reader provides an excellent series of in-depth discussions of important issues that are realted to body image and personal identity, as well as of social and cultural perceptions and values. The presentations are definitive, refreshingly original , insightful, and well written. The interdisciplinary approaches to this important topic have been skillfully blended and organized by the editors. This is a theoretically important set of readings that deserves a wide readership among a wide variety of behavioral and biological scientists." -- James A. Moses Jr. * American Psychological Association *
"Anyone looking for a research idea or seeking inspiration to write about her or his own embodiment from a scholarly perpective is likely to find it in The Body Reader. This reader is a fascinating read." -- Joan C. Chrisler, Jennifer Bessette * Springer Science and Business Media Journal *
"The Body Reader makes you want to sit down immediately and browse, and the reading pays off. The essays are wide-ranging, and each covers its topic with scope and depth. Covering theory, praxis, and critique, this anthology is sure to be a favorite for courses in sociology of the body, disability studies, and a variety of womens/gender studies subjects, including science and technology. I highly recommend it!" -- Judith Lorber,author of Breaking the Bowls: Degendering and Feminist Change
"A powerful exploration of the many ways that bodies and embodiment matter. The editors have carefully selected a mix of classic and original articles, and their section introductions alone will prove an invaluable resource for researchers and teachers. This smart collection is certain to shape the interdisciplinary field of body studies." -- Janice Irvine,author of Disorders of Desire: Sexuality and Gender in Modern American Sexology
"This collection of essays provides a rich smorgasbord of scholarly approaches to the body, its many meanings and experiences. For readers who want to savor the inter-disciplinarity of this exciting genre of cultural studies, this is an important book to read and have on your shelf." -- Joan Jacobs Brumberg,author of The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments viii; Introduction: Not Just the Reflexive Reflex: Flesh and Bone in the Social Sciences 1; Mary Kosut and Lisa Jean Moore;; Part I: Vulnerable Bodies 51; 1. The Body's Problems with Illness 58; Arthur Frank; 2. Laboring Now: Current Cultural Constructions of Pregnancy, Birth, and Mothering 90; Barbara Katz Rothman; 3. Am I Good Enough for my Family? Fetal Genetic Bodies and Prenatal Genetic Testing 121; Kristen Karlberg; 4. Assume the Position: The Changing Contours of Sexual Violence 146; Patricia Hill Collins; 5. The Phenomenology of Death, Embodiment and Organ Transplantation 197; Gillian Haddow; 6. Chemically Reactive Bodies, Knowledge, and Society 226; Steve Kroll-Smith and H. Hugh Floyd;; Part II: Bodies as Mediums 256; 7. "Made by the Work": A Century of Laboring Bodies in the United States 266; Ed Slavishak; 8. Embodied Capitalism and the Meth Economy 291; Jason Pine; 9. Extreme Bodies/Extreme Culture 324; Mary Kosut; 10. The Racial Nose 353; Sander L. Gilman; 11. To Die For: The Semiotic Seductive Power of the Tanned Body 404; Phillip Vannini and Aaron M. McCright; 12. The Naked Self: Being a Body in Televideo Cybersex 450; Dennis D. Waskul;; Part III: Extraordinary Bodies 506; 13. Manscaping: The Tangle of Nature, Culture and Male Body Hair 512; Matthew Immergut; 14. Incongruent Bodies: Teaching While Leaking 545; Lisa Jean Moore; 15. Envisioning the Body in Relation: Finding Sex, Changing Sex 567; Eric Plemons; 16. Scars 588; Jarvis Jay Masters; 17. Slippery Slopes: Media, Disability and Adaptive Sports 593; William J. Peace;; Part IV: Bodies in Media 616; 18. Hey Girl, Am I More than My Hair?: African American Women and Their Struggles with Beauty, Body Image, and Hair 622; Tracey Owens Patton; 19. Fighting Abjection: Representing Fat Women 654; Le'a Kent; 20. Images of Addiction: The Representation of Illicit Drug Use in Popular Media 686; Richard Huggins; 21. The Ana Sanctuary: Women's Pro-Anorexic Narratives in Cyberspace 712; Karen Dias; Contributors 740; Index
