Week 3 Flashcards
(19 cards)
The Anthropology of the Body
- Acknowledging the material body
- Making the Body Social
Challenging mind-body separation
“… the body as a product of specific social, cultural, and historical
contexts”
“… social categories are literally inscribed on and into the body, which,
with prescriptions about body fluids, cosmetics, clothing, hair styles,
depilation, and ornamentation, acts as a signifier of local social and
moral worlds”
“… simultaneously a physical and symbolic artifact, as both natural and
culturally produced, and as securely anchored in a particular historical
moment”
Three bodies
Individual of their - A person’s experience, their perception, and consciousness
body.
Social - Body imagery and ‘messages.
Political - Regulation, control, and surveillance of bodies.
Embodiment Challenging mind-body dualism and the body as a
biological/universal fact. Political economy approach.Biosocial approach
Biopower (Most obvious in politics of reproduction)
Control
Surveillance
Important Concepts-
“a concept referring to how we literally incorporate, biologically, the
material and social world in which we live, from conception to death;
a corollary is that no aspect of our biology can be understood absent
knowledge of history and individual and societal ways of living’ [7].
Embodiment for epidemiology grapples with the implications of how
global and local social, political, and economic structures shape
people’s lives and become embodied in individual sickness and
suffering.”
The term “structural violence” is one way of describing social
arrangements that put individuals and populations in harm’s way (see
Box 1) [16]. The arrangements are structural because they are
embedded in the political and economic organization of our social
world; they are violent because they cause injury to people (typically,
not those responsible for perpetuating suc inequalities).
Reading 1
Majombozi, Z. and Mutendi, M. 2024. Chapter 12: Embodiment in Pentecost, M., Keaney, J., Moll, T.
and Penkler, M. eds., The Handbook of DOHaD and Society: Past, Present, and Future Directions of Biosocial Collaboration. Cambridge University Press.
Reading 1
Reading 1
Reading 1
This chapter explores embodiment—how human bodies are not just
biological but also shaped by social, cultural, political, and historical
forces. Instead of seeing the body as a passive vessel, social
anthropologists study how people experience, understand, and perform
their bodies in various contexts.
Reading 1: Key Concepts
- The Body as a Social Construct
- Phenomenology and Experience
- The Body and Power
- Gender, Race, and the Body
- Body Techniques (Marcel Mauss)
- The Global Body
Reading 1 Why This Matters in Anthropology
The study of embodiment helps anthropologists understand people live their lives in their bodies.
It connects the personal (how I feel) with the social (how society sees
me).
It reveals how power and culture shape even the most intimate aspects of life
Reading 1 key concepts explain
- The Body as a Social Construct
The body is not only biological but Different societies define what bodies also deeply cultural.
should look like, how they should move, what they should wear, etc.
Example: Ideas of beauty or gender expression vary across culture - Phenomenology and Experience: Draws from Merleau-Ponty: embodiment is central to how we experience the world. Emphasizes lived experience—what it feels like to inhabit a body.
Anthropologists explore how illness, pain, disability, and emotions are bodily experiences that are shaped by culture - The Body and Power
Bodies are subject to control and discipline by institutions (e.g. schools, prisons, medicine). Michel Foucault’s idea of biopower: states and institutions manage bodies to control populations.
Bodies become “docile” through practices like hygiene, diet, exercise, etc - Gender, Race, and the Body
Bodies are markers of identity—gendered, racialized, and classed.
Judith Butler: gender is performed—not something we are, but
something we do.
The body becomes a site of political struggle (e.g., feminist
movements, anti-racist protests). - Body Techniques (Marcel Mauss)
Everyday bodily actions (e.g. walking, swimming, eating) are learned.
These techniques of the body are shaped by culture, not just
biology. - The Global Body
Globalization affects bodies—through migration, labor, fashion, fitness, cosmetic surgery, etc.
Example: Western beauty standards spread globally, influencing body image and health practices.
Reading 2 reading
Ginsburg, F. and Rapp, R., 1991. The politics of reproduction. Annual Review of Anthropology,
20(1), pp.311-343.
Reading 2 1. Central Theme
This book critically explores how reproduction is not just a biological
or private matter but a deeply political issue shaped by power,
ideology, and social structures. It examines the intersections of
gender, race, class, sexuality, and nation in shaping reproductive
policies and practices.
Reading 2 2. Key Concepts
Reproduction as Political:
Control & Surveillance:
Representation:
Technologies of Reproduction:
Feminist Engagement:
Global Dimensions:
Reading 2: Reproduction as Political
Reproduction as Political: The authors argue that decisions and
discourses around reproduction (e.g., fertility, childbirth,
contraception, abortion) are influenced by political institutions,
economic interests, and cultural norms.
Reading 2: Control & Surveillance: )
Control & Surveillance: Institutions such as the state and medical
systems often regulate reproductive choices, particularly targeting
marginalized groups (e.g., poor women, women of color, disabled
people).
Reading 2: Representation:
Representation: The book critiques how media, science, and policy
construct reproductive subjects, often reinforcing stereotypes (e.g.,
“ideal mother,” the “irresponsible” poor or racialized mother).
Reading 2:Technologies of Reproduction:
Assisted reproductive (ART), surrogacy, and genetic screening are examined for how they
reflect and reproduce inequalities.
Reading 2: Feminist Engagement:
Feminist Engagement: The authors engage with feminist debates,
advocating for reproductive justice that centers autonomy, access,
and equity rather than narrow pro-choice/pro-life binaries.
Reading 2 Global Dimensions:
Global Dimensions: They highlight how reproductive politics are
globalized—shaped by international development agendas,
population control policies, and transnational labor (e.g., surrogacy
markets).
