APY1501 – LEARNING THEME 4
Our bodies, our selves:
Introduction:
Since its earliest days anthropologists have been interested in the
human body and appearance.
The way people perceive and handle their bodies are embedded in
a wider sociocultural system and its inherent values and meanings.
Notions of the body are complex and multifaceted.
o Notion – a person’s belief, general understanding, idea or
perception of something known, experienced or imagined.
Sociocultural anthropologists – examine how culture affects
societal and individual bodily ideas, ideals and practices.
o They provide ethnographic records of how various
sociocultural groups value appearance-related practices.
Biological/physical anthropologists – classify human diversity
related to body size, shape, composition and appearance.
o They investigate how geographical, social, economic and
other aspects affect physical development, health and well-
being.
Linguistic anthropologists – research how the body communicates;
how messages are sent within a particular social context and how
a language shapes bodily concepts.
Archaeologists – record physical variations, modification and
adornment practices over time through examining material
remains.
We all share certain characteristics of what we might call
“bodiliness”, such as flesh, blood and bones, as well as
proneness to disease and illness, aging and dying.
Skin colour of course, has always been a prominent bodily
characteristic.
o People commonly regard skin colour as an important
indicator of “race” and, on this basis, treat others differently
and even discriminate against them.
, Humans have also made other physical/bodily adaptions, for
example:
o Living in the Himalayas and Andes, people have adapted to
the high altitudes and therefore do not develop oxygen
deficiency.
o Lactose tolerance is an evolutionary adaptation, which is not
found under all populations.
o The San people of south-western Africa have fat insulation
around their vital organs that reduces heat loss at night.
o Populations in tropical areas of Africa and in Greece, Sicily
and Southern India have more natural resistance to malaria,
The sociocultural system and context have an influence on our
physical bodies – what we eat, how we sleep and walk, work, learn
and play are some of the variables.
Further, how we experience our bodies – with pride, disapproval,
confidence or embarrassment – is also influenced by societal
norms and values.
o Therefore, the body is a construct that is formed and shaped
by a sociocultural system.
Anthropology is concerned with how people experience
themselves, in the context of their culture.
Perceptions of the body:
Perceptions of the body refer to thoughts and feelings about a
person’s own physical appearance – your body image.
What one sociocultural group considers to be fat, thin, ugly or
beautiful will not necessarily be the same in another group.
o Different understandings and ideas about their own bodily
ideals and very few of us are immune to the dictates of our
specific sociocultural system.
Throughout history, cultural influences have played a considerable
role in determining body image.
Today, the condition, “anorexia nervosa”, is common and statistics
of young people, particularly girls, dieting themselves to the point
of starvation are disturbing.
In many communities all over the world, women display male
wealth on and through their bodies.
Our bodies, our selves:
Introduction:
Since its earliest days anthropologists have been interested in the
human body and appearance.
The way people perceive and handle their bodies are embedded in
a wider sociocultural system and its inherent values and meanings.
Notions of the body are complex and multifaceted.
o Notion – a person’s belief, general understanding, idea or
perception of something known, experienced or imagined.
Sociocultural anthropologists – examine how culture affects
societal and individual bodily ideas, ideals and practices.
o They provide ethnographic records of how various
sociocultural groups value appearance-related practices.
Biological/physical anthropologists – classify human diversity
related to body size, shape, composition and appearance.
o They investigate how geographical, social, economic and
other aspects affect physical development, health and well-
being.
Linguistic anthropologists – research how the body communicates;
how messages are sent within a particular social context and how
a language shapes bodily concepts.
Archaeologists – record physical variations, modification and
adornment practices over time through examining material
remains.
We all share certain characteristics of what we might call
“bodiliness”, such as flesh, blood and bones, as well as
proneness to disease and illness, aging and dying.
Skin colour of course, has always been a prominent bodily
characteristic.
o People commonly regard skin colour as an important
indicator of “race” and, on this basis, treat others differently
and even discriminate against them.
, Humans have also made other physical/bodily adaptions, for
example:
o Living in the Himalayas and Andes, people have adapted to
the high altitudes and therefore do not develop oxygen
deficiency.
o Lactose tolerance is an evolutionary adaptation, which is not
found under all populations.
o The San people of south-western Africa have fat insulation
around their vital organs that reduces heat loss at night.
o Populations in tropical areas of Africa and in Greece, Sicily
and Southern India have more natural resistance to malaria,
The sociocultural system and context have an influence on our
physical bodies – what we eat, how we sleep and walk, work, learn
and play are some of the variables.
Further, how we experience our bodies – with pride, disapproval,
confidence or embarrassment – is also influenced by societal
norms and values.
o Therefore, the body is a construct that is formed and shaped
by a sociocultural system.
Anthropology is concerned with how people experience
themselves, in the context of their culture.
Perceptions of the body:
Perceptions of the body refer to thoughts and feelings about a
person’s own physical appearance – your body image.
What one sociocultural group considers to be fat, thin, ugly or
beautiful will not necessarily be the same in another group.
o Different understandings and ideas about their own bodily
ideals and very few of us are immune to the dictates of our
specific sociocultural system.
Throughout history, cultural influences have played a considerable
role in determining body image.
Today, the condition, “anorexia nervosa”, is common and statistics
of young people, particularly girls, dieting themselves to the point
of starvation are disturbing.
In many communities all over the world, women display male
wealth on and through their bodies.
