Volume 1, Issue 3

This paper recapitulates the development of the sociology of the body over the past 20 years. It asks for the body’s place in sociological theory and distinguishes between three main ideas of bodysociological research and theory: a) the cultural shaping of the body, b) the body’s function to symbolize social affiliations, and c) the acting body. The sociological interest in the body refers mainly to the first two areas. In comparison, research concerning the practice of the body has been neglected. The development of a praxeological analysis of the body is seen as the main challenge for the sociology of the body. Finally, two future research ideas are outlined: the social genesis of a pre-reflexive, embodied intention and the materiality of the body.

This article deals with the topic of alternative sports from the perspective of the sociology of the body. It proposes the thesis that the distinctive characteristic of alternative sports is a late modern relationship of body, self and society, alternative sports differ from traditional forms of sports due to its late modern body and movement practices as well as the contemporary forms of experiencing and feeling one’s self as it relates to these physical practices. By using an analytical differentiation between ‘body’ (Körper) and ‘live body’ (Leib), this article furthermore emphasizes the important role of physical experiences which capture the fascination of alternative sports. Based on these results, the author recommends a stronger consideration of the category ‘live body’ in the sport- and body-sociological research.

Norms of attractiveness, or the conceptualization of the distinctness of exactly two sexes, are inscribed in the body-which will be termed bodification. On the other hand, beautification, or (dealing in beauty/beauty practices), will be used as a medium of communication which serves, depending of how one stages his/her own perception by others, the purpose of obtaining attention and protection of one’s own identity. This article deals with various ways of how pictures and practices of beautification are connected with ideas about “being normal”, how these ideas are being produced, and how they can be dodged, too. Furthermore, the thesis will be developed that neither the relationship to one’s body nor the gender are the primary factors responsible for being susceptible or resistant to the ideologies and naturalizations revolving around beautification, but rather the reference to sexuality, more specifically, the open and reflective ability and willingness to talk about sexuality.

This article aims at a city-sociological foundation of current urban movement cultures. A common belief of sport-sociological results is to portray adolescent cultures of movement as a phenomenon of the metropolis or as a counter culture to the functionality of modern cities. The opposite view to this belief is a thesis that it was the post-industrial city that has provided the social-spatial conditions for the festival- and event character of the cultures of movement and sports. Central procedures were in this case the theatrical aspects and the theatrical reorganisation of the public space as well as the aesthetical reinterpretation of the specific modern concept of a normative urbanity. The line of argument is developed via the combination of two sociological disciplines, the urban sociology and the sociology of movement and sports. The first step will systematically discuss the partly supplementary and partly contradictory latest trends of the urban development. In a second step these trends will be compared to the existing sport-sociological results of city cultures of movement.