Bodies, bombs and belief systems: sport, lifestyle construction and education in dangerous times1

Abstract

Dominant academic narratives about ‘the body’ occur within two major camps. The first is derived from ‘classical social theory’, and takes a macroscopic focus. The contrasting perspective is what Sharp (Extended forms of the social, Arena Journal, 1, pp. 221–237, 1993) refers to as ‘post‐classical theory’. This orientation, originating in theories with a phenomenological focus, attempts to understand individuals as identity forming social actors. This paper offers an alternative perspective to both orientations and is described as a theory of society as ‘layered’. This perspective identifies three major themes that shape current understandings about ‘the body’: autonomy/independence as a primary social value of the ‘self’ in which the body can be understood as ‘an action system’, science and technology as potent social forces and inherent risks for individuals in the process of choosing and maintaining a desired lifestyle. These themes are explored via a case study of an Australian Rules footballer. The final part of the paper offers a number of suggestions about the implications of the analysis for education.