In this Very Short Introduction Chris Shilling considers the social significance of the human body, and the importance of the body to individual and collective identities. He examines how bodies not only shape but are shaped by the social, cultural, and material contexts in which humans live.

Chris Shilling is Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent. He has been a key figure in the development of 'body studies', and has written extensively on embodiment, body pedagogics, and sociological theory, in areas ranging from religion, to sport, education, gender, and work. His most recent books are Sociology of the Sacred. Religion, Embodiment and Social, with Philip A. Mellor (Sage Publishing Ltd, 2014), and The Body and Social Theory, 3rd Edition (Sage Publishing Ltd, 2012).

• Introduction


• 1: Natural bodies or social bodies?


• 2: Sexed bodies


• 3: Educating bodies


• 4: Governing bodies.


• 5: Bodies as commodities


• 6: Bodies matter! Dilemmas and controversies


• References and Further Reading


• Index