79 FIVE Body and identity This chapter explores some of the seminal literature on two seemingly different subjects: body and identity. Unlike time, these two subjects have been investigated in depth by other writers. This chapter aims to introduce themes contained in the subjects of body and identity that are most relevant to this book. The two subjects are presented separately, but later in the chapter, in the review of the work of Jenkins, Hockey and James, and Battersby, there are suggestions that body and identity are interwoven. In later chapters, we
as a unwitting supporter of women’s reproductive rights. 8 As Julianna put it, in true Gen Z style: ‘Lol. Get rekt’. 9 The interchange between Matt Gaetz and Olivia Julianna tells us something about the body’s place in contemporary culture. On one level, the body is a site of politics. Women’s bodies are marked by decisions made by the Supreme Court, stigmatized by firebrand politicians, celebrated by abortion rights activists. On another level, the body is a site of humour. Some of us laugh at women who are so obese they can barely stand up, so ugly they can
This book is the story of twelve people, each living with long-term illness. Delving into the routines and rhythms of everyday life, the book reveals the significance of the things that we usually take for granted, from what we eat to when we sleep, how we move, and what we wear. Learning from the lives portrayed, it explores ideas of care, vulnerability and choice, questioning what it means to live a modern life with illness and illuminating the vitality of bodies along the way.
Juxtaposing academic text with rich descriptions and vivid illustrations, including video stills, journal extracts, and drawings, the book highlights the sensory and emotional intimacies of visual sociology and demonstrates the use and value of sensuous scholarship.
149 FIVE Disruptive bodies But there are no new ideas still waiting in the wings to save us as women, as human. There are only old and forgotten ones, new combinations, extrapolations, and recognitions from within ourselves, along with the renewed courage to try them out. And we must constantly encourage ourselves and each other to attempt the heretical actions our dreams imply and some of our old ideas disparage. (Lorde, 1984: 38) From the human dog-walking performance that we encountered at the beginning of this book, via the ambiguous positioning of
Lily Hamourtziadou’s investigation into civilian victims during the conflicts that followed the US-led coalition’s 2003 invasion of Iraq provides important new perspectives on the human cost of the War on Terror.
From early fighting to the withdrawal and return of coalition troops, the Arab Spring and the rise of ISIS, the book explores the scale and causes of deaths and places them in the contexts of power struggles, US foreign policy and radicalisation. Casting fresh light on not just the conflict but international geopolitics and the history of Iraq, it constructs a unique and insightful human security approach to war.
or as an individual, medicalised issue. Furthermore, there is a need to understand more about how people interpret and negotiate the changes involved. In this chapter, I first introduce the empirical study and consider some theoretical concepts by way of background. Then, I discuss the study’s findings. The chapter addresses how participants experienced onset of disability, or greater disablement, in their bodies. It shows that this could involve suffering, loss, uncertainty about daily life and the future, and forced abandonment of activities. This could be
1 ONE Introduction: the curiosity of ageing body, time, and identity We who are older have enormous freedom to speak out, and equally great responsibility to take the risks that are needed to heal and humanize our sick society. We can try new things and take on entirely new roles. (Kuhn quoted in Dychtwald, 1978/2012) Leave safety behind. Put your body on the line. Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind – even if your voice shakes. When you least expect it, someone may actually listen to what you have to say. Well-aimed slingshots can
95 SIX The body and embodiment Physical contacts with children were a routine element of my fieldwork. Hugs, taps, handshakes, strokes, I received even a kiss or two … Also bumps, kicks and spitting once. I was instructed by the Centre staff that there were no strict formal rules about touching children – such as that one could not hold them or hug them. However, there were some principles I was supposed to follow – to be very careful about initiating bodily contact with children and rather let them decide and perform when and if at all they wanted any
151 TEN Expert policy advisory bodies Jenny Stewart and Scott Prasser Introduction This chapter gives an overview of the evolution of government-established and -supported expert policy advisory bodies (EPABs) at the federal level in Australia from the 1970s to 2010. In reviewing these bodies, we seek to answer the following questions about advisory bodies in general and the role of expertise in policy development in particular. First, why were these specialised bodies established outside the formal permanent bureaucracy? Second, what has given these bodies
In my discussion of two of the ways we can understand the role of the body in anti-violence activism, I have highlighted that a heightened awareness of our bodily vulnerability unsettles our gendered identities. I now want to explore how the unsettling of identities was taken in a radical direction by my colleagues: understanding women as vulnerable bodies. The formulation of women as vulnerable bodies, characterized by an inherent corporeal vulnerability to violence, proved to be an extremely unsettling formulation, not only for me and my colleagues, but for
