Exploring the Body

K. Backett-Milburn et al, eds, Exploring the Body (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2001

This research contains a range of empirical works that have explored and theorized the body on different themes. Each of the themes takes the body and its study as central problematic. The research work has creatively contributed on disability, scars, illness, complementary medicine, sleep, running and life-course themes of childhood, youth and death. It has employed different approaches of exploring the body examined through various contributions like case studies, autobiography, participant observation and interviews.

A. Blaikie et al, eds, The Body: Critical Concepts in Sociology (London: Routledge, 2003)

This research work offers a unique and comprehensive guide to the body sociology. It has employed a strong scope of history and conceptual framework to provide a requisite reference for the undergraduate and post-graduate students. It is also relevant for scholars who are working in the area. The research work has mainly been developed to allow for understanding sociology through the body in what can be defined as re-reading sociology in a more corporeal light. This has been done in an interdisciplinary process, dependent on historical happenings, feminism, history of culture and art, social psychology, anthropology, medical sociology, philosophy, sociology media and communication. This has mainly been based on the western practice but it has sought to broaden the perspective in order to include other cultural assumptions, practices and beliefs from other regions like East Asia and South America.

Mike Featherstone et al, eds, The Body: Social Process and Cultural Theory (London: Sage, 1991

This research has emphasized on reaffirming the significance of the body within the theory of sociology in order to understand the complex interrelations between culture, society and nature. Theoretically, the research work explores the origin of the social theory of the body from a number of sources ranging from Nietzsche work to theory of contemporary feminism. The research has demonstrated the significance of understanding the body to sociology theoretically and analysis of culture of contemporary societies through specific case studies. These include the expression of the emotions, dietary practices, romantic love, culture of consumers, beauty and fitness, to the media images of sexuality and women.

P. Hancock et al, eds, The Body, Culture and Society (Buckingham: Open Univ. Press, 2000)

This research work has mainly been designed for undergraduates and postgraduate students to provide a wide range of body related matters. It has comprehensively covered topics on how the body comes to the forefront of sociology, how it conceptualizes in relations to identity and culture and the limitations of the current work on the body sociology. The research work provides a clear and stimulating introduction to the importance of the corporeal of life dimension within the contemporary though of sociology. It has delineated the many reasons for the increase in the sociological enthrallment with the body and categorizing it with a number of broader developments within the incumbent social cultural sensibility. The succeeding chapters have been authored to examine the body place within a number of substantive areas of the research of sociology. Thus in turn it has developed a critical analysis of the current research work in the areas. It has also provided suggestion for further reading per each area to allow for a comprehensive understanding of the body from a sociological perspective.

Alexandra Howson, the Body in Society: An Introduction (Oxford: Polity, 2004)

This research work provides an introduction to the body sociology. It examines the certain aspect of the human bodies like the shape, size, demeanor and scent, reveal about the daily social organization and how the body is important to the way humans interact with the world and the people around. It describes how the body is gifted with varied forms of social importance and it is this which sociology has tackled addressing questions like; to what degree do people have control over their own bodies, what interest dos the state have in controlling the human body? How important is the body to the performance and development of self in the daily life? What images of the body influence the expectations of the people of themselves and others? The research work has addressed these clearly and comprehensively.

The research work also introduces learners to important theoretical perspectives and conceptual frameworks to help them understand the social importance of the human body. it has used familiar examples from routine lifestyles like diet, personal hygiene, exercise regimes, display of dressing and emotions, and the bodily functional control.

S. Nettleton & J. Watson, eds, The Body in Everyday Life (London: Routledge, 1998)

This research work has explored how the human body impacts on their day to day life. it has a focus on how ordinary women, men and children talk about their bodies. The research work focused on four central themes; namely, emotional and physical bodies, illness and disability, aging and gender. Through its coherent collection of the empirical research, the authors have provided a comprehensible introduction to the body sociology. It is different from other research approaches that have used philosophical and theoretical accounts. It has combine a number of approaches of research, topics and settings and still it has maintained a specific focus towards embodied self as experienced in the day to day life and in real life situations.

Mark Seltzer, Bodies and Machines (London: Routledge, 1992)

The work of this research examines the complexity of body-machine and its effects on the modern imagination of American Culture. It explores the links between the representation techniques and the social scientific powers of technologies in a broad naturalistandrealist practices and discourses which it is informed. The author explores cultural forms of mass consumption and mass production including standardization iconography, scale models and composite photographs.

Mary Warnock Making Babies: Is There a Right Way to Have Children (2003)

This research work has explored the human perspective of having children. The author has discussed the moral and legal principles and then applied them to the practices involved in the assisted conception. It tries to explain how having children is not a right but those who are infertile should be assisted as long as they meet the costs. The research has also emphasized on the right-based morality. It tries to explore the fundamental changes in the patient-doctor relationship where the doctor is obliged to do what the patient want. These have been done by analyzing complex issues underlying the factors and explaining in a manner that the lay man would understand.

Rachel Cusk, A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother (2002)

The works of this collection seeks to tell a story that is set in an era of equality in sexuality. The author has compared the modern motherhood that is characterized with many stories per year, farewell to freedom, time and sleep; a humility lesson and hard work, a journey to love roots, a meditation to morality and madness. The author describes it as a book to women as a letter in the hope that they find companion in her experience. It tells about the life and experiences of a mother.