Reflexive Embodiment in Contemporary Society

In this book, Nick Crossley explores the concept of reflexive embodiment – how we, as embodied beings, reflect upon our own embodiment. He considers the ways in which we modify and maintain our bodies, from brushing our teeth and washing our faces through to tattooing and bodybuilding. Some forms of ‘body work’ are demanded by social conventions; others represent legitimate choices, and others still deviate from or resist the norm. He argues that a proper understanding of reflexive embodiment must be alert to these differences, and that we must appreciate that our bodies are not passive or inert substances that we can mould as we like. They change in ways that we do not intend and of which we are not aware, and they may prove difficult to change in the ways we do intend. Many theorists in sociology offer perspectives on the link between society and body modification, mostly focused in one way or another upon ‘modernity’. Reflexive Embodiment in Contemporary Society reviews this literature, evaluates competing claims and suggests an alternative approach. Nick Crossley contends that existing perspectives are very selective in the range of modification practices they focus upon and in their conception of both modernity and its effects upon the body. While various theories identify clusters of modification practices and link them to aspects of modernity, there has been no systematic attempt to combine these partial accounts into a coherent vision. This book provides such a vision and offers a major contribution to the sociology of the body.

Table of Contents:
Series editor’s preface Acknowledgements Introduction Part One: Reviewing the field Identity, individualism and risk Civilization, informalization and distinction Power, resistance and discipline Consumption, gender and the fashion-beauty complex Part Two: Rethinking reflexive embodiment Introduction to part two Obesity Crisis Blind spots, the absent body and being-for-others I, me and the other Reflexive body techniques and social networks Mapping reflexive embodiment Conclusion References Index

About the Author :
Nick Crossley has been involved in this area of research for over ten years and was very much involved in the first large wave of interest in British sociology. He has published one book already in the area (The Social Body, 2001), as well as a string of papers and articles, and is contributing a chapter of 'The Sociology of the Body' to a new international handbook of sociology.