The Sociology of Health and Healing: A Textbook (Book).

Abstract

Johnston, J.R. (ed) The American Body in Context: An Anthology . Wilmington, Delaware : Scholarly Resources Inc., 2001, $55.00, xi + 335pp. ISBN 0842028587 (cloth). This book draws on interdisciplinary studies to examine the American body in its contemporary, cultural and social context. It posits that physical attractiveness has become extremely salient in Western cultures and that the body is no longer only a physical and biological entity, but a symbolic creation to be laboured over and evaluated by others. This view is widely supported. For example, Shilling (1997) argues that ‘The human body has, in recent years, been interrogated, investigated and invaded as never before.(…) Images of the body beautiful circulate within advertising and consumer culture at an ever greater rate, while many people spend large amounts of time and money attempting to change the shape and appearance of their physical selves’. Johnston argues that the body has become an individual and collective experience, which, to be understood, needs to take gender, race and class into account. This excellent book presents an extremely comprehensive and accessible account of interpretations of the body. The book is divided into four main sections, covering issues such as the debate about the dualism of mind and body, the body as symbol and metaphor, control and conformity of the body and acts of resistance. Johnston’s thought-provoking comments run like a thread through the book, pulling various strands together from a constructivist perspective. A superb introductory section precedes the main parts and each essay is introduced by a short summary. A popular culture article is included in each main part, with questions to draw the more scholarly and popular contributions together. Suggestions for further reading are made, including some ‘core texts’ by authors such as Susie Orbach and Susan Bordo. However, although these are essential reading for anyone interested, it might have been valuable to include some more recent publications. The first section of the book explores the philosophical distinction between body and mind in Western culture, reminding the reader that both are socially constructed concepts. There has been much academic debate recently on how and where individuals locate a sense of themselves within the body. Johnston argues in the introductory section that although the social sciences claim to bridge the gap between mind and body, they subscribe to the body and mind dualism just as biology and medicine do. Two essays in this section highlight how the mind and body split is reproduced even in science fiction. This is counterbalanced by an article about the experience of living with disability, emphasising the close link of mind and body. The second section analyses the media construction of the body, which promotes the ‘self’ as an image. By discussing the historical and contemporary effect of consumer culture, it argues that the body has become a symbol of the personal self, which can be easily altered and formed. The essays highlight different debates and developments, with an emphasis on gender and race. The third section investigates how bodies are controlled, disciplined and transformed, especially in relation to medicine, psychotherapy and education. Johnston suggests that these social systems have their own institutional language, forcing individuals to think about their bodies in a certain way and mould them according to particular ideals. The essays in this section explore how rituals surrounding bodily functions are regulated, learned and disciplined through medicine and education. After having explored the various social mechanisms through which the body is conceptualised and disciplined, the last section focuses on the possibility of resistance to various forms of control at an individual and collective level. It shows that concepts of the body are not only shaped by dominant cultural notions, but also by physical, emotional and social experiences. The essays in this section present viewpoints of those who resist and challenge dominant culture mandates, but also act as a reminder that individuals are firmly grounded within social structures. Johnston suggests that through analysing power relationships and ways of resistance, avenues of choice and alternatives are explored. In short, Johnston has drawn together knowledge from different disciplines and woven an intriguing tapestry which is rich and thought provoking. Most impressive is her ability to draw together and integrate different points of view, moving the ‘body’ out of the narrow confines of separate disciplines and into the much wider sphere it merits in our culture. The American Body in Context: An Anthology is highly recommended as an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the subject.