Sociology of the Body in Search of its Identity: Analysis of Research Programs

In: Sociologičeskij žurnal: Sociological journal, Band 25, Heft 4, S. 9-27

Abstract

The author poses the problem of the status of sociology of the body as an independent sub-discipline, putting forward the hypothesis that today this moniker only unites the spectrum of those sociological directions that are engaged in the study of separate theoretical and applied issues related to corporeality. This review allows for securing the trend towards fragmenting sociology of the body as a field of study and strengthening its status as a rubric for research, rather than a full-fledged area of sociology. In order to clarify the subject of sociology of the body and its correlation with other disciplines which study embodiment, three classifications of theories used in body studies are analyzed — philosophical, anthropological and sociological. Unlike other researchers, the author of this article considers the opposition of structuralism and interpretativism to be the most appropriate for designating opposing research programs in the sociological classification of body theories.