A bold reappraisal of science and society, The Woman in the Body explores the different ways that women's reproduction is seen in American culture. Contrasting the views of medical science with those of ordinary women from diverse social and economic backgrounds, anthropologist Emily Martin presents unique fieldwork on American culture and uncovers the metaphors of economy and alienation that pervade women's imaging of themselves and their bodies. A new preface examines some of the latest medical ideas about women's reproductive cycles.
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Over 150 women, representing a variety of ethnic, age, and socioeconomic backgrounds, participated in the survey upon which this book is based. Anthropologist Martin sought to discover how these women experienced the uniquely female functions of menstruation, childbirth, and menopause. Using medical text definitions (which rely heavily upon a model of production/failed production) as a standard, she studied the ideas and attitudes of women she surveyed, finding not unexpected class and age differences in their acceptance (or rejection) of the medical metaphor. She examines how traditional cultures validate women's bodily functions, while industrial society requires women to deny the reality of their bodies. A fascinating study; for academic and large public libraries.Beverly Miller, Boise State Univ. Lib., Id.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Spectacular. There is no better study of the power of metaphor in modern medicine. --Thomas W. Laqueur, author of Making Sex
"One of the greatest strengths of this fascinating book is Martin's careful analysis of how medical language about women's bodies reveals cultural assumptions about women and their life's purpose. . . . Highly recommended." --Judith Walzer Leavitt, Bullentin of the History of Medicine
"An important contribution. . . . In challenging the status of both bio-medical 'facts' and popular assumptions about women this book will stimulate scholars and students of gender, medicine, and American culture." --American Ethnologist
"Provocative. . . . Martin's conclusions are ground-breaking." --Julia Epstein, The Women's Review of Books
"One of the greatest strengths of this fascinating book is Martin's careful analysis of how medical language about women's bodies reveals cultural assumptions about women and their life's purpose. . . . Highly recommended." --Judith Walzer Leavitt, Bullentin of the History of Medicine
"An important contribution. . . . In challenging the status of both bio-medical 'facts' and popular assumptions about women this book will stimulate scholars and students of gender, medicine, and American culture." --American Ethnologist
"Provocative. . . . Martin's conclusions are ground-breaking." --Julia Epstein, The Women's Review of Books
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
provocative and worthwhile,
By M "Loops" (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Woman in the Body: A Cultural Analysis of Reproduction (Paperback)
Though it may seem a little dated, the issues and questions Martin raises are still relevant today. This thoughtful book speaks to the alienation and detachment many women feel at the hands of modern Western medicine and should be of interest to anyone studying medical anthropology, cultural andthropology, sociology, or women's studies. Some people may have problems with the methodology or feel that the book is pushing a feminist agenda (personally, I thought the chapter on PMS was a little muddy) but most people I know who've read it have found something in it that they can relate to even if they don't agree with Martin 100%.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book,
By Carme (Spain) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Woman in the Body: A Cultural Analysis of Reproduction (Paperback)
A great and serious study about the "images" we create about our body. A clarified explanation about how the medical comunity sees and creates an idea of what the woman body is, by exploring some medical texts about reproduction, menopause or maternity.
4.0 out of 5 stars
mostly swell,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Woman in the Body: A Cultural Analysis of Reproduction (Paperback)
And boy did I feel like a woman reading this one. I didn't finish it though and when I skipped ahead, it started to sound overly analytical and pretentious. However, I can't talk down this anthropologist. She has so much to offer anthropology and is truly gifted in her influential writing, the detailed subject matter, the matter of fact-but still emotional language is intriguing. I wish I could speak to her!
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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premenstrual syndrome, failed production Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Women's Vantage Point, Medical Metaphors, Cultural System, Work Discipline, United States, Kristin Lassiter, Meg O'Hara, Michel Odent, Shelly Levinson, Johns Hopkins University, Rachel Lehman, Mara Lenhart, Sarah Lasch, Williams Obstetrics, Institute of the History of Medicine, Lisa Miner, Gladys Sundquist, Tania Parrish, The Creation of New Birth Imagery, Gracie Evans, Ann Morrison, Laura Cromwell, World War, Doctor Dalton, Basic Books Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
premenstrual syndrome, failed production Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Women's Vantage Point, Medical Metaphors, Cultural System, Work Discipline, United States, Kristin Lassiter, Meg O'Hara, Michel Odent, Shelly Levinson, Johns Hopkins University, Rachel Lehman, Mara Lenhart, Sarah Lasch, Williams Obstetrics, Institute of the History of Medicine, Lisa Miner, Gladys Sundquist, Tania Parrish, The Creation of New Birth Imagery, Gracie Evans, Ann Morrison, Laura Cromwell, World War, Doctor Dalton, Basic Books Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
100
books
cite this book:
See all 100 books citing this book
- Conceiving the New World Order: The Global Politics of Reproduction by Faye D. Ginsburg on 4 pages
- Menstrual Disorders (Experience of Illness) by Annette Scambler in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Politics of Women's Bodies: Sexuality, Appearance, and Behavior by Rose Weitz on page 11, page 99, and page 281
- Mother Stone: The Vitality of Modern British Sculpture (Studies in British Art) by Anne Middleton Wagner in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Ventriloquized Bodies: Narratives of Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century France by Janet Beizer on page 31, page 91, and Back Matter
See all 100 books citing this book
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