University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Reading the gendered body in contemporary culture, 1980-1990

Balsamo, Anne Marie

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/23138

Description

Title
Reading the gendered body in contemporary culture, 1980-1990
Author(s)
Balsamo, Anne Marie
Issue Date
1991
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Treichler, Paula A.
Department of Study
Communication
Discipline
Communication
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • American Studies
  • Sociology, General
  • Mass Communications
Language
eng
Abstract
"One of the significant developments in feminist studies during the decade of the 1980s has been the emphasis on studying the body, gender, and sexuality as complex cultural constructions. As a contribution to the broader feminist project to rethink the body as a cultural construction rather than a nature ""given,"" this dissertation examines the different ways in which bodies are gendered through interactions with various forms of body technologies: female body building, male stripping, cosmetic surgery, and reproductive engineering. Through a combination of close readings (of science fiction novels, cult films, advertisements, and other texts of everyday life) and original ethnographic investigation, I examine the process through which bodies are inscripted with a gendered identity. At a broader theoretical level, this project contributes to the development of cultural studies as a critical framework for understanding the production and reproduction of power and knowledge."
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/23138
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1991 Balsamo, Anne Marie

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - Communication