The Body in Society

Reviews / Votes

Howson set out to write about everyday embodied experiences rather than the interests of professional sociologists. Perhaps that s why The Body in Society is such a valuable resource for exactly those sociologists and their students. This revised version is a highly engaging, accessible and, above all, socially embedded introduction to this important area. Julie Brownlie, University of Stirling The sociology of the body is now an established and important field of research and scholarship. Howson offers a timely, up-to-date and accessible introduction to a wide range of key issues in the field. The Body in Society will be an essential text for students exploring the body's role in social relations. Victoria Pitts-Taylor, City University of New York Sociological interest in the body has burgeoned since the 1980s, but few writers have managed to provide such a sophisticated interweaving of theoretical approaches with applied understanding. Eloquently charting everyday practices diversified by gender, age, disability, ethnicity and sexuality, situated within theoretical frameworks encompassing phenomenology and dualism, regulation and cultural capital, Howson enables us to appreciate both the real and the politically inscribed aspects of embodiment as influenced by social processes and contexts. Gillian Bendelow, University of Sussex