Focusing on fitness culture in commercial gyms, the book explores the historical commercialization of body discipline and its impact on gender identities. It examines how gym environments shape and reflect social dynamics, particularly regarding distinction and consumption in contemporary society. Through a sociological lens, it delves into the cultural significance of gyms, revealing their role in negotiating identity and societal norms.
Even though we often think of bodies as natural and given, or else as freely plastic objects, bodies are both constructed and fundamental to our sense of self.This book investigates the body as a fundamental vector of inequality, shaped by institutions, interaction and culture, and how in turn it contributes to partly modify them. Sassatelli and Ghigi show how the process of embodiment is at the same time naturalized and contested, particularly evident in the case of gender. Drawing on classical sociological ideas about modernity and contemporary studies that emphasize intersectionality, the book looks at how the gendered body has been conceptualized with special attention to body politics, the power of appearance and the representation of embodied identity. It also considers the interplay between body, sex and sexuality and the way gendered bodies intersect with other dimensions of social inequality such as race, age, class and disability.This exploration of the rich field of sociological inquiry into the gendered body will be an invaluable read for all seeking to understand gender, sexuality and embodiment in contemporary society.
This book explores the cultural and institutional evolution of the 'consumer' concept, tracing the historical journey of self-understanding in a consumer society. It highlights the complexities and contradictions that define our identities as consumers.
Exploring the evolution of the concept of 'consumer,' the book delves into the cultural and institutional processes that shape our identities within a consumer society. It examines the historical, sociological, anthropological, geographical, and economic dimensions of consumer culture, highlighting the complexities and contradictions involved. Through this interdisciplinary approach, readers gain a thorough understanding of how consumerism influences our self-perception and societal dynamics.