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Posted Thu, 4 Feb 2010 15:18:42
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*British Sociological Association*
*London Medical Sociology Group Meeting*
*Wednesday 10th Feb **6pm*
*
*
*Miranda Leontowitsch
Bodywork in Later Life
***
**
*Abstract:
*
Later life today is very different in character to that
experienced by previous generations in that it has been
accompanied by the emergence of the 'third age' as a cultural
field. Social transformations related to risk, consumption and
individualisation are reflected in the construction of third age
identities. Health is central to the pursuit of an agentic third
age lifestyle and the 'will to health' is emerging as a powerful
discourse in later life. Older peoples' engagement in health and
bodywork has been documented in regard to a range of activities,
from fitness classes to beauty parlours, and such health
activities (especially physical ones) are encouraged by
government and voluntary sector initiatives as well as being
commercially pursued by the private sector. This paper aims to
establish the ideas that lie behind older peoples' bodywork and
examine what factors influence the continuation or withdrawal of
such work. The data are drawn from a qualitative study using
recorded interviews with people aged 60 plus who purchased
non-prescription and supplementary medicines in pharmacies and
health food shops in London. The participants were predominantly
women so that beauty-work was as big a part of the interviews as
diet, exercise and self-medication were. The analysis suggests
that there was a continuation of bodywork across the lifecourse
but that notions of retreat were also present when participants
withdrew from certain kinds of bodywork. There was also a sense
of body-drop when participants withdrew from certain kinds of
bodywork. Where such limits started to occur we suggest it is
useful to consider these in terms of an 'arc of acquiescence'
where individuals try to maintain as much of their bodily
appearance and fitness as possible and where the withdrawal from
body maintenance is a slow one.
*Venue*
King's College London
Franklin Wilkins Building
Room 1.16
Stamford Street
London SE1 8WA
nearest train/tube station: Waterloo
*Everyone is welcome to attend the LMSG meeting. The group has no formal membership.
*
The BSA is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England and
Wales. Company Number: 3890729. Registered Charity Number 1080235
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