Politics of the Body

This research theme focuses on how bodies are socially constructed and politically inscribed to serve as sites of power negotiation, exclusion, and control. It explores the intersections of race, gender, class, and ability in the governance and representation of bodies. The body is examined as a site where ideological, racialized, and gendered logics manifest, and where state, cultural, and institutional power regimes operate to include or exclude certain populations from belonging and political participation. Understanding these processes sheds light on how bodily difference is central to contemporary political struggles and identity formations.

This theme investigates how sociological and cultural theories conceptualize the body as a socially constructed and historically situated entity that shapes and expresses identity, embodiment, and experience. It addresses shifting frameworks from classical sociology to contemporary feminist, Foucauldian, and queer theories, highlighting how bodies are 'made' through cultural norms, discourses, and embodied practices. By focusing on the nexus of biology and culture, this research informs understanding of how bodies perform and signify social meanings and subjectivities.

This theme examines the role of material objects, such as armor, fashion, and body representations, in constructing, regulating, and contesting bodily identities and political power. It explores how objects serve both as extensions and regulators of the body, mediating social hierarchies, gendered performances, and political ideologies. By integrating historical, anthropological, and cultural analyses, research shows how material culture implements disciplinary regimes and enables bodily agency within power structures.