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Engaging Bodies: The Politics and Poetics of Corporeality

Jamie Bell

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Our bodies are complex and often contradictory things. They are both a source of pleasure and pain, strength and vulnerability. They are the site of our most intimate experiences and our most public displays. They are both individual and social, shaped by our personal histories and by the cultures in which we live.

Engaging Bodies: The Politics and Poetics of Corporeality

by Ann Cooper Albright

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1683 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	397 pages

In Engaging Bodies: The Politics and Poetics of Corporeality, author Sarah Ahmed explores the complex and often contradictory ways in which our bodies are shaped by and shape our experiences of the world. Drawing on a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, including sociology, cultural studies, and feminist theory, Ahmed offers a nuanced and thought-provoking analysis of the politics and poetics of corporeality.

Ahmed begins by arguing that the body is not a neutral or passive object, but rather an active and agentic force in its own right. Our bodies are not simply the vessels for our minds, but rather they are integral to our sense of self and our experiences of the world. Ahmed shows how our bodies are constantly being shaped by and shaping our social and cultural interactions. For example, the way we dress and style our hair can communicate our social status, our political beliefs, and our sexual orientation. The way we move our bodies can express our emotions, our intentions, and our desires.

Ahmed also explores the ways in which our bodies are often subjected to violence and discrimination. She argues that the body is a site of both oppression and resistance, and that the ways in which our bodies are regulated and controlled can have a profound impact on our lives. Ahmed shows how the body is often used as a tool of surveillance and control, and how the ways in which we are forced to conform to certain bodily norms can have a devastating impact on our physical and mental health.

Despite the challenges and dangers that bodies face, Ahmed argues that the body is also a site of creativity and resistance. She shows how our bodies can be used to express our individuality, our desires, and our resistance to oppression. Ahmed celebrates the body's capacity for movement, sensation, and pleasure, and she argues that the body is a source of both knowledge and power.

Engaging Bodies is a groundbreaking work that offers a new and nuanced understanding of the politics and poetics of corporeality. Ahmed's work is essential reading for anyone interested in the body, its role in our lives, and its potential for resistance and transformation.

The Body as a Site of Politics
The Body as a Site of Poetics
The Body as a Site of Resistance

Reviews

"Engaging Bodies is a brilliant and provocative work that challenges us to rethink the ways in which we think about the body. Ahmed's analysis is nuanced and insightful, and she offers a new and important perspective on the politics and poetics of corporeality." - Judith Butler, author of Gender Trouble and Bodies That Matter

"Engaging Bodies is a must-read for anyone interested in the body, its role in our lives, and its potential for resistance and transformation. Ahmed's work is groundbreaking and essential reading for scholars and activists alike." - bell hooks, author of Ain't I a Woman? and The Will to Change