We welcome abstracts to a new book project about body cultures and space. Body Cultures:
Physicality, Space, and Moving Bodies will offer a multifaceted exploration into the dynamics
of human embodiment within diverse contexts. Anchored in the realms of sport and fitness,
this collection will delve into the intricate choreographies of movement, performance, and
physical breakdowns. Contributors shall examine the body not merely as a biological entity,
but as a vessel of cultural, artistic, and communicative expressions. Drawing references from
theatre and the arts, as well as sport and popular culture, essay will illuminate the
performative dimensions of athleticism, juxtaposing them with theatrical embodiments.
Studie can trace how narratives shape and reflect societal perceptions, and even
embodiments, of physical prowess, limitations, and aesthetics. Additionally, food, as both
sustenance and symbol, can be explored, revealing its role in constructing athletic identities
and bodily practices. Together, these insights will present a cohesive understanding of the
human body’s dialogues with space, articulating its stories of strain, strength, and spectacle.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Sport, competitions, multi-sport events
- Traditional games
- Play and fun
- Dance, performance, and festivals
- Physical culture and physical education
- Fitness, leisure, and yoga
- Fat, muscle, and body image
- Artistic impressions of the body
- Ability and disability
- Food as sustenance and symbol
- Nature, the environment, and ecological embodiment
- Health, medicalized bodies, and anatomy/biology
Please send a 250-word abstract to tom.fabian@ucd.ie and C.Heffernan@ulster.ac.uk by July
31, 2024. We will review abstracts and respond by the end of August 2024. The collection of
abstracts will be included in a book proposal to Brill’s new Bodies and Abilities in Culture,
Literature, and the Art series. If your abstract is accepted, the deadline for first drafts of
chapters will be March 2025. Contributors will be asked to review one other chapter in the collecgtion.