The Body in Postmodern Society

In contemporary societies body issues are everywhere. In our consumer and media culture the body has been turned into a project that needs constant attention and work. Social changes, health awareness and the numerous possibilities of body maintenance and body modification indicate that the body is deeply related to identity, self-representation and performance in public. It serves as a container and expression of the self, as the object of social control, and as a repository of shifting gender, sexual and class categories.

The fragmentation of the body into a series of body-parts and its reconstruction and fabrication through fashion, cosmetics, sports and dieting reflect typical aspects of postmodern social theory. At the core are the critical concepts of poststructuralism (e.g. M.Foucault) and feminism (e.g. J. Butler), in which the body is seen as the product of complex social arrangements and processes.

This course introduces you to some influential empirical studies and to the theoretical concepts this research field draws upon. We will be working with texts, images and film sequences. Course-language will be English.

Course Requirements

Regular attendance, oral presentation (15 minutes), abstracts and/or assignment (Hausarbeit).

Course Material

The final reading list, syllabus and course bibliography will be available on StudOn at the beginning of the semester.