'Classifying the body in the Second World War: British men in and out of uniform'.

Peniston-Bird, C. M. (2003) 'Classifying the body in the Second World War: British men in and out of uniform'. Body and Society, 9 (4). pp. 31-48. ISSN 1460-3632

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Abstract

This article argues that the imaginary and the experienced body cannot fully be understood without an appreciation of the specific historical context in which they are formed. Offering a case study of military masculinity in Britain in the Second World War, the article examines the significance of the medical examination and subsequent physical classification of potential recruits to the Armed Forces in constructions of the male body. Individual responses, drawn from oral testimonies, are examined to explore the relationship between the discursive and experienced body. These suggest the power of the social body in defining the meaning of the individual body. Nonetheless, despite the dominance of physical classification in the definition of hegemonic masculinity, individual experiences reveal that the concept and meaning of physical grading could be negotiated in ways which introduced less stable and more multiple meanings of the individual body and its relationship to the national body.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Body and Society
Additional Information:
This article was written following a direct request from the then editor of Body and Society but emerged from the author's awareness of a dearth in the literature on the Second World War of research comparing civilian and military masculinities. RAE_import_type : Journal article RAE_uoa_type : History
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3316
Subjects:
?? britain • medical examination • military masculinity • oral testimony • physical classification • second world warcultural studiessocial psychologyhealth(social science)d731 world war ii ??
ID Code:
4152
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
03 Mar 2008 10:31
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 11:22