First Uncivil Bodies workshop

15Jun11

Today, Caroline Smith and I held our first workshop in the framework of Uncivil Bodies, our joint, funded research project exploring interdisciplinary perspectives towards eating and food. We invited specialists, stakeholders and researchers from different disciplines to participate in an open discussion on eating-disorder related websites, blogs and forums. We had a representative of Beat, the Eating Disorder Association; researchers from different Universities in the UK and France, who have worked and published on pro-ana websites in psychiatry, psychology and sociology perspectives; researchers working on eating practices more generally and on perceptions of obesity; researchers specialising in related areas including child and adolescent health, the social construction of childhood, and health care communication; and artists working on food and eating. A sample of images and texts from a review of these websites has been submitted to participants for comment and discussion, aiming to set up a collaborative context for new questions to emerge, while also exploring the potential for inter-disciplinary cross-fertilisation.

The panel was wonderful and I feel the workshop has been a most fruitful and interesting one. I am very happy and hope all other participants also enjoyed the collaborative atmosphere and the highly stimulating discussions. Thanks very much to all for accepting the invitation and joining us!

Caroline will lead a second workshop on 8th July, grounded in a performance art perspective: more information here!

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Filed under: Socioeconomic studies of health, Sociology   |  1 Comment
Tags: Arts, Eating behaviors, Eating disorders, Food choices, Obesity, Pro-ana and pro-mia websites, social theory, Sociology, Web-based social networks, Well-being