scholarly journals Understanding anorexia: an hermeneutic approach as a methodological alternative for the field of contemporary anorexia research

1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Puuronen
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
The Body ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
Modes Of Action ◽  
Neutral Process ◽  
Hermeneutic Approach ◽  
The Individual

Theories of anorexia nervosa have mainly been dominated by psychiatry and concentrate upon its physiological aspects, both in diagnosis and treatment. This has led to a search for organic causes behind anorectic conditions, instead of seeing it as molded and shaped both by the individual and the socio-cultural context. This "medicalisation" has been an impediment to a more complete conceptualisation of the experience of discipline and of the ascetic modes of action in anorexia. The intension is to approach anorexia as lived process. The focus is not in explaining what cause anorexia, but is centered on the contents of living experience as such. Thus, the author proposes a phenomenological approach to anorexia as a methodological alternative compared to the dominant medico-psychological approaches to anorexia of today. If we consider the body of an anorectic person as an intersection in which the subject's relationship to social reality will be materialized and verified, we are able to see first how accurate a picture of the dual meanings, double bindings and paradoxical commitments of our present culture and its relation to a woman's body anorexia will draw up. Also, because the fact is that anorexia is a predominantly "women's" illness we have to take in account that the construction of subjectivity and in this context the construction of a lived anorectic experience of discipline, is not a gender-neutral process.

Making an Exhibition of Ourselves: Using the Dead to Fight the Battles of the Living

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
The Body ◽  
Dead Body ◽  
American Military ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Dead Bodies ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Osama Bin Laden ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Nuremberg Trials

In October 2011, graphic images of a blood-stained and dead Muammar Gaddafi were sent around the internet. For some time after his death, his dead body was displayed at a house in Misrat, where masses of people queued to see it. His corpse provided a focus for the Libyan people, as proof that he really was dead and could finally be dominated. When Osama bin Laden was killed by the American military in May that same year, unlike Gaddafi, the body was absent, but the absence was significant. Shortly after he was killed a decision was taken not to show pictures of the dead body and it was buried at sea. The American military appear to have been concerned it would become a physical site for his supporters to congregate, and the photographs used by different sides in a propaganda war. Both cases reflect an aim to control the dead body and associated meanings with the person; that is not unusual: after the Nuremberg trials, the Allied authorities cremated Hermann Göring—who committed suicide prior to his scheduled hanging—so that his grave would not become a place of worship for Nazi sympathizers. These examples should remind us that dead bodies have longer lives than is at first obvious. They are central to rituals of mourning, but beyond this, throughout history, they have also played a role in political battles and provided a—sometimes contested—focus for reconciliation and remembrance. They have political and social capital and are objects with symbolic potential. In The Political Lives of Dead Bodies the anthropologist Katherine Verdery explores the way the dead body has been used in this way and why it is particularly effective. Firstly, she observes, human remains are effective symbolic objects because their meaning is ambiguous; that is whilst their associated meanings are contingent on a number of factors, including the individual and the cultural context, they are not fixed and are open to interpretation and manipulation: ‘Remains are concrete, yet protean; they do not have a single meaning but are open to many different readings’ (Verdery 1999: 28).

scholarly journals Patientens kropp

Budkavlen ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 98 ◽  
pp. 122-137
Author(s):  
Markus Idvall
Keyword(s):  
Deceased Donor ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Medical Gaze ◽  
Analytical Perspective ◽  
Uncertain Future ◽  
The Individual

The Body of the Patient Emotions, power and reciprocity in the world of transplantation   Markus Idvall   Transplantation has been a part of human culture and imagination over centuries. In modern times, from the mid-20th century on, transplantation of solid organs and cells has become part of clinical practice. In this article, I focus on field studies with 1) individuals who have donated a kidney to a relative (living donors) and 2) individuals who have received a kidney from a deceased donor. Transplantation is problematized as a form of inter-corporality and a performative meeting between a recipient, a donor and medical intermediaries in the shape of doctors and nurses. By focusing on the body of the patient we learn about the aspects of emotions, power, and reciprocity in which the transplantation takes place. The empirical discussion starts with a phenomenological approach towards what it means to have a transplant. In the narrative of one of the interview subjects a specific landscape – a forest – appears as a symbol for the individual body’s transformation or even “rebirth”. The embodiment of the forest signifies both hope and an uncertain future for the individual. In a similar way, individuals who donate one of their kidneys to a relative, also incorporate the patient’s room in the hospital as being a space representing the pain which an individual living donor experiences when temporarily becoming a patient. In the second part of the article, a bio-political, power-related perspective is included in the analysis. The medical gaze that identifies donors and recipients is discussed in relation to how the human body and body-parts become a form of a national resource in the transplant context. Donor pools and waiting lists for transplants are in this respect tools for realizing a transplant industry on a national and global basis. At the end of the article, reciprocity is introduced as an analytical perspective. By distinguishing the transplant as a gift, emotions, power relations and the multifaceted body of the patient can be seen as inter-connected.

Etica ed estetica per l’anoressia / Ethics and aesthetics for anorexia

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-436
Author(s):  
Paolo Marino Cattorini
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Contemporary Art ◽  
Medical Humanities ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sick People ◽  
Self Image

L’anoressia nervosa rischia di venir fraintesa, etichettandola come mero disturbo neurobiologico e affrontandola con tattiche assistenziali, che mirano semplicemente alla rapida correzione del peso. Un approccio fenomenologico coglie invece nel disturbo alimentare una strategia di liberazione, per quanto rischiosa e piena di contraddizioni. Nel presente articolo abbiamo indicato tre dimensioni etiche ed estetiche di questa pericolosa trasformazione di sé. L’anoressica scolpisce il corpo in forme dissonanti, al modo di una body artist; ella scrive nella carne la propria storia alla luce di un mito affettivo, che la guida come un racconto esemplare di formazione; infine l’anoressica prova per il cibo il disgusto che ella vive nei confronti di relazioni mancate di cui ha ancora disperata fame. La persona che soffre tenta di dirigere perfezionisticamente, attraverso la malattia, una trasformazione individuale, imbattendosi in un mondo di oggetti trasfigurati (fra cui i cibi, le sostanze alimentari), un mondo simile a quello istituito dall’arte contemporanea. Per questi motivi, il lavoro medico-psicologico condotto sui disturbi alimentari è più efficace quando si posseggono competenze in ambito umanistico, particolarmente di ordine etico ed estetico. ---------- Anorexia nervosa risks being misunderstood by labelling it merely as a neurobiological disorder or by tackling it only with behavioral advice, in order to rapidly achieve some weight gain. On the contrary, a phenomenological approach recognizes in an eating disorder also an ethical strategy of liberation, although it may well be risky and full of contradictions. This article indicates three ethical and aesthetic dimensions of this dangerous transformation of self-image. Anorexia sculpts the body in dissonant forms, in the way of a body artist; it writes in the flesh a suffering story in the light of an affective myth, which guides the patient towards an ideal of mature development. Finally, sick people feel the same disgust for food that they experience with regard to missed or damaged relationships of which they still desperately hunger for. Through the illness, an attempt is made to manage in a perfectionist way the bodily transformation, but the result is that they come upon a disquieting world of transfigured objects, a world similar to that established by some contemporary art movements. For these reasons, the medical-psychological work carried out on eating disorders requires competence in the field of medical humanities and particularly in the sphere of ethical and aesthetic education.

scholarly journals Understanding Tattoos from the Indonesian Underground Music Scene of the Surabaya Region

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Cons. Tri Handoko
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Art ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Music Scene ◽  
The Social ◽  
Spiritual Journeys ◽  
Underground Music ◽  
The Individual

This study analyses the functions and meanings of tattoos in the specific social and cultural context of the underground musicians and fans in urban East Java. The research methodology is based on qualitative data and uses ethnographic and social science methods. The ethnographic component comes from participation in music events, gatherings and visits to the target community in their homes and public places. The focus is on the analysis of the visual data in their particular contexts and draws from detailed knowledge of literature pertaining to existing international research about tattoos from a variety of perspectives. In particular, the individual explanatory narratives are considered to account for the icons, symbols and typography patterns, to understand the broader vocabularies of tattoos that are followed in the subculture of underground music in Indonesia. This research revealed that tattoos and tattooing practices among Java-based underground music subcultures were mostly still based on mutual co-operation, as shown by how some of the underground musicians and fans became the volunteer media of tattooing practices for their fellow tattoo apprentices. This kind of activity seems to strengthen their social interactions. From an analogical perspective, we can see the body as the site where they create those relationships. I call this phenomenon the social body event, a celebration of togetherness and unity, flowing dynamically in the form of the production of tattoos. Other findings were that tattoos also became a projection of their spiritual journeys, personal identity, as well as the group identity, in cases where there was a shift in the meaning of tattoos over time. The local preferences of tattoos and the tattooing process also involve local spiritual conceptions, such as the tattoo positioning on the body representing good or evil. Also, some subjects acquired tattoos after experiencing dreams. This phenomenon shows that some youngsters still believe that dreams can convey a supernatural message or a sign of a particular event in their life. Tattoo and tattooing practices in the underground music scene reflect the vigorous bond between inside and outside the self, the music scene, and the wider range of society. It is also clear how global tattoos can influence, in terms of tattoo styles and motifs. This research adds to the existing body of research and knowledge of both subcultures and body art in the Indonesian context.

scholarly journals The Body Responds

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-42
Author(s):  
Emma Green ◽  
Margot Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
The Body ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Hermeneutic Approach ◽  
Somatic Experiences

The first author uses a hermeneutic approach to reflect on her somatic experiences with clients diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa. Using poetry, imagery, and metaphor, as well as understandings drawn from the psychodynamic literature, she attempts to convey something of the nature of her journey towards making sense of her experiences. The second author was the supervisor of the first author’s dissertation, from which this article arose.

scholarly journals Digitalization and Socio-Cultural Engineering

2018 ◽  
pp. 100-108
Author(s):  
Grigorii Tulchinskii
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Knowledge Practices ◽  
Cultural Engineering ◽  
The Individual ◽  
New Situation

Modern digital technologies create new living conditions, but they themselves depend on the socio-cultural context of their development and use. In this regard, it seems important and necessary to talk about socio-cultural engineering (SCI) - the systematization of knowledge, practices of development, examination and implementation of projects related to the transformation of social reality and the socialization of the individual. SCI is able to create a new situation as a framework for integration, convergence and comprehension of these plans. In this case, digitalization can not only generate problems, but can also provide a platform for solving these problems. The topical task is the systematization of the study, interpretation and positioning of the interdisciplinary complex of SCI. The solution of this task includes substantiation of the methodology and positioning of interdisciplinary studies, as well as the substantiation of the methodology and the institutionalization of a complex humanitarian expertise.

scholarly journals The gendered experience of voice in Canadian radio and beyond: Toronto, Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
The Body ◽  
Visual Texts ◽  
Women's Voice ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Voice

Feminist media scholars have historically centered gender and identity on the body and visual texts, with the voice exercised as metaphor - immaterial or interpreted solely as the words spoken. Representative of agency, the voice gets defined as what is being said rather than how one is saying it. My thesis addresses this gap through an earoriented analysis of women’s voice within the Canadian radio and podcasting industry. Centred on the experiences of individual women in Toronto’s broadcast soundscape, I bring a feminist phenomenological approach to my work to explore the intersection of voice as both material sound -an extension of the body and thus individual identities- and the weight of the women’s voice as politically and historically coded. I aim to expand my work beyond the individual experiences of the women within the broadcast industry and into the broader discourse surrounding gendered representation for the future of our Canadian media soundscape.

General principles and techniques

2021 ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Simon Kay ◽  
David McCombe
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Surgery ◽  
Birth Defects ◽  
The Body ◽  
Human Behaviour ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Congenital Defects ◽  
Detailed Understanding ◽  
Form Function ◽  
The Individual

Plastic surgery pursues the amelioration of acquired or congenital defects, to restore both function and form. Uniquely among surgical specialties, plastic surgery is defined by concept rather than by tissue or anatomical region. The concepts and techniques that are its foundation may be applied throughout the body irrespective of tissue type, to reconstruct or repair deficiencies resulting from trauma, disease, or birth defects. To the uninformed, it appears a solely technical specialty, but in truth, the interactions between form, function, and human behaviour are so intimate that diagnosis and treatment must consider each of these aspects. In particular, it requires a detailed understanding of human behaviour and its variants in a wide variety of circumstances to treat the individual effectively.

scholarly journals The gendered experience of voice in Canadian radio and beyond: Toronto, Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
The Body ◽  
Visual Texts ◽  
Women's Voice ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Voice

Feminist media scholars have historically centered gender and identity on the body and visual texts, with the voice exercised as metaphor - immaterial or interpreted solely as the words spoken. Representative of agency, the voice gets defined as what is being said rather than how one is saying it. My thesis addresses this gap through an earoriented analysis of women’s voice within the Canadian radio and podcasting industry. Centred on the experiences of individual women in Toronto’s broadcast soundscape, I bring a feminist phenomenological approach to my work to explore the intersection of voice as both material sound -an extension of the body and thus individual identities- and the weight of the women’s voice as politically and historically coded. I aim to expand my work beyond the individual experiences of the women within the broadcast industry and into the broader discourse surrounding gendered representation for the future of our Canadian media soundscape.

scholarly journals The nonverbal behavior of football players: A sociological and psychological study

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 132-141
Author(s):  
Osman Sirj Aldeen ◽  
Rasha Abdel Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
The Body ◽  
Research Trend ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Psychological Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
Large Audience ◽  
The Individual

The relationship among the body, soul and society is not new, but an old relationship as the humanity itself. There are many studies dealt with the body in relation to various sciences, including psychology, sociology and anthropology. In the modern era, the interest in the sociology and physiology of the body has become a research trend that includes many fields such as communication sciences, folklore and arts. The body has important, expressive and fundamental connotations in expression and nonverbal communication with others, including various movements and gestures as well as the tattoos drawn on different body parts. These have various psychological, cultural and social implications. Thus, the body represents the other ego of the individual through which he expresses his individual and societal components, and implications that reflect the social and cultural context. The football game is one of the most popular in the world, followed by many people from different social classes as well as different ages and nationalities. This game has a large audience not only watching the matches, but also follow the movements and emotions of the player and is affected by them as well as follow the details of their personal lives.

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