In this unique approach to the field of body studies, author, scholar, and educator Victoria Kannen explores what it means to exist in a body that is constantly on display and subjected to public scrutiny. Kannen examines the interplay of many ways our bodies express identity, such as gender, race, body size, sexuality, disability, body modification, and age, and how public scrutiny of those expressions can impact our public and private selves.

Intertwining personal narratives of self-identified “odd and awed” women with theoretical chapters that help to elucidate the role of social power, this volume tackles the stares, comments, and questions that are directed towards bodies in public space through original research, personal narratives, and artistic expression. As readers encounter the narratives and images throughout the book, they will be supported by scholarly chapters on embodiment, identity, resistance, and power to help analyze, reflect on, and critically engage with the content.

Through stories, theory, and art, this timely new resource will engage students and scholars of women’s and gender studies, sociology, critical disability studies, and body studies.

FEATURES:

• Offers a unique understanding of interpretation and what it means to have a body that causes curiosity, discrimination, and lifelong interactions
• Accessible and engaging for students and scholars, as well as those outside of academia
• Provides creative and non-traditional opportunities for critical engagement with various embodiments

Victoria Kannen writes and teaches on the subjects of identity, privilege, education, and popular culture. She holds a PhD in Sociology and Equity Studies in Education (newly named Social Justice Education) from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. In addition to writing and teaching about the intersections of identity and Canadian pop culture, she facilitates workshops on gendered and sexual violence in educational spaces. Her work has been published in such journals as the Journal of Gender Studies, Culture, Theory and Critique, and Teaching in Higher Education.

Victoria Kannen's profile page