sociology of the body
The sociology of the body is a new area in sociology and one where much work remains to be done. In this journal, the focus is on how something as seemingly individual and given as your own body is influenced by the power of the state and the attitudes and pressures in the wider society.
Abstract
The state has the potential to control the population and individuals in many ways like population, size, where people live and appearance. Attitudes towards the body have changed over time and cultures, and the body is increasingly taking center stage in society. Different sociological perspectives are used to evaluate on the ideas of the body and how they each support and challenge each other.
Key words
Population
Individual Bodies
Illness and health
Diet and fitness
Medicalisation
Cosmetic surgery
Eating disorders
Functionalist, Marxist and Feminist
Regulating populations The state controls the population of the nation through observation of birth, death and marriage rates in censuses and surveys, the compilation of official statistics by government agencies, understanding of public health and housing schemes and the control over migration. As Foucault put it: “At the heart of this economic and political problem of population was sex:it was necessary to analyse the birth rate, the age of marriage, the legitimate and illegitimate of births, the precocity and frequency of sexual relations, the ways of making them fertile or sterile, the effects of unmarried life or of contraceptive practices.”(Foucault 1976:25-6). In China, the population is controlled by having the One Child Policy in each family. The state rewards families that observe the policy by giving higher wages, better schooling and employment and obtaining government assistance and loans. However for families who violet the One Child Policy there is sanctions: fines, employment termination, and difficulty in obtaining governmental assistance.
The state has the power to regulate the
Abstract
The state has the potential to control the population and individuals in many ways like population, size, where people live and appearance. Attitudes towards the body have changed over time and cultures, and the body is increasingly taking center stage in society. Different sociological perspectives are used to evaluate on the ideas of the body and how they each support and challenge each other.
Key words
Population
Individual Bodies
Illness and health
Diet and fitness
Medicalisation
Cosmetic surgery
Eating disorders
Functionalist, Marxist and Feminist
Regulating populations The state controls the population of the nation through observation of birth, death and marriage rates in censuses and surveys, the compilation of official statistics by government agencies, understanding of public health and housing schemes and the control over migration. As Foucault put it: “At the heart of this economic and political problem of population was sex:it was necessary to analyse the birth rate, the age of marriage, the legitimate and illegitimate of births, the precocity and frequency of sexual relations, the ways of making them fertile or sterile, the effects of unmarried life or of contraceptive practices.”(Foucault 1976:25-6). In China, the population is controlled by having the One Child Policy in each family. The state rewards families that observe the policy by giving higher wages, better schooling and employment and obtaining government assistance and loans. However for families who violet the One Child Policy there is sanctions: fines, employment termination, and difficulty in obtaining governmental assistance.
The state has the power to regulate the
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