Whose Body is it Anyway?

Whose Body is it Anyway? explores contemporary understandings of the body and the conflicting ways in which it is considered in different contexts, either as the possession of the individual or that of society (or both). The volume adopts an embodied approach, employing sociological theory along with examples drawn from empirical research.

Ian Wellard is a sociologist of Sport and the Body. His main research interests relate to embodied practices, physical activity, gender and sport. Much of this research has been generated through ethnographic studies, which draw upon qualitative and reflexive approaches to the ways in which embodied identities are constructed and negotiated. His previous publications include Researching Embodied Sport (2015), Sport, Fun and Enjoyment (2013), Sport, Masculinities and the Body (2009) and Rethinking Gender and Youth Sport (2007), all published by Routledge.

1. Introduction 2. Being Trained and Training One's Body 3. Health and Fitness 'Knowledge': Theorising (Fitness) Body Reflexive Practices 4. What Pain? 5. Embodied Pleasure and Pain in Fitness Related Practices 6. Metamorphosis 7. Identities and Power: I'm in Control? 8. Final Thoughts