Body & Society

Scope & Guideline

Advancing Understanding of Bodily Experiences in Social Contexts

Introduction

Welcome to the Body & Society information hub, where our guidelines provide a wealth of knowledge about the journal’s focus and academic contributions. This page includes an extensive look at the aims and scope of Body & Society, highlighting trending and emerging areas of study. We also examine declining topics to offer insight into academic interest shifts. Our curated list of highly cited topics and recent publications is part of our effort to guide scholars, using these guidelines to stay ahead in their research endeavors.
LanguageEnglish
ISSN1357-034x
PublisherSAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
Support Open AccessNo
CountryUnited Kingdom
TypeJournal
Convergefrom 1995 to 2024
AbbreviationBODY SOC / Body Soc.
Frequency4 issues/year
Time To First Decision-
Time To Acceptance-
Acceptance Rate-
Home Page-
Address1 OLIVERS YARD, 55 CITY ROAD, LONDON EC1Y 1SP, ENGLAND

Aims and Scopes

Body & Society focuses on the intricate relationships between the body, society, and various cultural practices and technologies. The journal aims to explore how bodies are experienced, represented, and constructed within social contexts, emphasizing the intersection of physicality with social, political, and technological dimensions.
  1. Embodiment and Subjectivity:
    The journal investigates how embodiment influences personal and collective subjectivities, particularly in the context of identity formation, gender, and class.
  2. Technologies and the Body:
    An essential focus is on the impact of technology on bodily experiences, including health technologies, biohacking, and self-tracking practices that mediate our understanding of the body.
  3. Cultural Representations of the Body:
    Body & Society examines the cultural narratives surrounding bodies, including representations in media, art, and literature, and how these shape societal norms and behaviors.
  4. Political and Ethical Dimensions of Bodily Practices:
    The journal addresses the political implications of bodily practices, such as healthcare, reproductive rights, and body politics, exploring how power dynamics manifest in corporeal experiences.
  5. Interdisciplinary Approaches:
    The journal encourages interdisciplinary methodologies, drawing from sociology, cultural studies, philosophy, and anthropology to provide a comprehensive understanding of bodily experiences.
Recent publications in Body & Society reveal a clear trend towards emerging themes that reflect contemporary societal issues and the evolving relationship between bodies and technology. These trends highlight the journal's responsiveness to changing cultural landscapes and academic discourse.
  1. Digital Embodiment and Datafication:
    A significant increase in focus on how digital technologies, including social media and self-tracking devices, are reshaping bodily experiences and identities, indicating a growing interest in the intersection of the body and digital culture.
  2. Intersectionality in Bodily Experiences:
    Recent works emphasize the intersectional nature of bodily experiences, particularly regarding gender, race, and class, reflecting a broader commitment to understanding how these identities coalesce in corporeal practices.
  3. Art and the Body as Resistance:
    There is a rising trend of using art as a medium to explore and resist technobiopower, particularly in contexts of infertility and reproductive rights, highlighting the role of creative practices in challenging societal norms.
  4. Embodied Knowledge and Memory:
    Emerging themes focus on the concept of embodied knowledge, particularly how memories and experiences are stored and expressed through the body, which is becoming increasingly relevant in discussions of trauma and identity.
  5. Environmental and Ecological Considerations:
    The journal is beginning to incorporate discussions around the relationship between bodies and the environment, including how ecological factors influence bodily health and practices, reflecting a growing awareness of environmental issues.

Declining or Waning

While Body & Society has maintained a robust focus on various aspects of embodiment and social practices, certain themes appear to be declining in prominence within recent publications. These waning scopes suggest a shifting attention towards more contemporary issues and methodologies.
  1. Traditional Medical Discourses:
    There is a noticeable decrease in papers focusing solely on traditional medical frameworks, as the journal shifts towards more nuanced, cultural critiques of health and illness.
  2. Static Understandings of Disability:
    The exploration of disability within fixed frameworks is less prevalent, with newer works favoring dynamic and intersectional approaches that consider the lived experiences of disabled individuals.
  3. Historical Perspectives on the Body:
    Research focused primarily on historical analyses of the body, while still relevant, has seen reduced frequency, suggesting a movement towards contemporary issues and current societal challenges.
  4. Solely Biophysical Investigations:
    The journal has gradually moved away from purely biophysical studies of the body, emphasizing instead the social and cultural implications of bodily practices and experiences.

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