Fitness and Its Discontents: The Pursuit of the High-Status Body as Therapy. Part 1.
We live in a culture that tends to define the self in accordance to the status of its body and the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. The corporal self-identity of contemporary times frequently goes under the name of ‘fitness’. It is a measure of aptitude for life in consumer culture and a service economy.
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Queues and Empty Shelves Reveal Our Fear of an Uncertain Future
Deep down, everyone embarking on a panicked shopping spree harboured no illusion about the time and place they inhabit. They simply understood that, in a society where nobody cares about the needs of others, their security is their own concern. [Read more…] about Queues and Empty Shelves Reveal Our Fear of an Uncertain Future
Eyes on the Street: the Spectacle of Urban Life
In the 19th century, new social practices, such as the promenading up and down the streets, mainly by men, reflected a new economic reality. Streets proved to be the right passages as architectural commodities for a capitalist economy rooted in visualism. The body became an artefact of display, which demanded the gaze of the onlooker.
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“Picking up Rubbish”—It’s Black and White…
Picking up rubbish can be perceived differently depending on the circumstances… and skin colour of those doing the cleaning.
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