The body has come to occupy a central place in cultural history, with historians consistently exploring such themes as the history of disease, disability, beauty, and sexuality. This engaging and concise book offers a clear introduction to the history of the body, introducing a wide array of conceptual approaches to the field. It delineates the topic of body history and its origins in cultural history and gender history, distinguishing it from related disciplines such as the history of the self, the history of medicine, the history of emotion and gender history. Bringing in a wealth of thought-provoking examples from historical writing, it goes on to explore a range of themes, including racism, anorexia, gender and sexuality, psychoanalysis and agency.
With further reading and explanations of key concepts provided throughout, this wide-ranging yet accessible text is the first introductory book to address this vibrant field from a theoretical perspective. It is ideal for students of historiography, medical history or the history of the body.
Introduction.- 1. Body, Mind and Self: Historical Perspectives.- 2. The Modern Body, Discipline, and Agency.- 3. The Social Construction of Body and Disease.- 4. The Body, Gender and Sexuality.- 5. Experiencing the Body.- 6. Materialist Approaches to the Body.- Conclusion.
Willemijn Ruberg is Associate Professor in Cultural History at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. She has published extensively on the history of the body, emotion, gender, knowledge and forensic medicine. She is currently leading the research project ‘Forensic Culture: A Comparative Analysis of Forensic Practices in Europe, 1930-2000’, funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant (2018-2023).
- Provides a concise overview of historical writing on the body
- Outlines the most important theoretical approaches, including social constructionism, symbolical anthropology, psychoanalysis and new materialism
- Discusses key concepts such as habitus, dualism, discipline, humoral theory, agency and body politics
- Gives numerous examples of the application of theory to the history of the body
- Assesses the latest trends in the use of theory by body historians
In History of the Body, Willemijn Ruberg provides an accessible, clearly written overview of the key concepts relating to the history of the body. This book will become an invaluable resource for students and academics alike. – Ian Miller, Ulster University, UK
Willemijn Ruberg’s overview of the history of the body is comprehensive, conceptually astute, and, most importantly, useful. Cogently surveying how body history has been theorized and practiced, her concise account elegantly tracks the past of the field while charting its present and potential futures. Essential reading for those seeking solid grounding in the subject. – Christopher E. Forth, University of Kansas, USA
