Writing the Body Politic: A John O'Neill Reader

This book collects essential essays from John ONeill's career, focusing on embodiment and its impact on familial, economic, personal, and communal life. It explores his work on the biobody, the productive body, and the post-modern libidinal body, and includes an interview with ONeill, a biographical note, a bibliography, and an introduction.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 254 pages
\n Publication date: 08 August 2019
\n Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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This comprehensive book brings together a selection of essential essays from the distinguished career of social theorist John ONeill, encompassing his unpublished later writings and focusing on the theme of embodiment to explore the diverse ways in which the body trope informs visions of familial, economic, personal, and communal life.

The book begins by delving into ONeill's groundbreaking work on the construction of the biobody and the intricate ways in which corporeality is woven into social systems through regimes of power and familial socialization. It then shifts its attention to ONeill's lifelong studies of the productive body, examining how the working body is entangled in and resists disciplinary systems that aim to rationalize natural functions and control social relations.

In the third section, the book explores ONeill's interest in the ancient, early modern, and psychoanalytic sources of the post-modern libidinal body. It further examines how these sources shape his understanding of the body and its political implications.

The final section of the book is dedicated to the civic body, specifically focusing on how principles of reciprocity and generosity transcend the capitalist, individualist body of (neo)liberal political theory. It explores how these principles can be used to create more inclusive and equitable societies.

In addition to the collection of essays, the book includes an interview with ONeill, addressing many of the key themes of his work. It also features a biographical note with an autobiographical postscript, providing insights into ONeill's personal background and influences. The book also includes a comprehensive bibliography of ONeill's numerous publications, as well as an extensive introduction by the editors.

Writing the Body Politic: A John ONeill Reader is a challenging and innovative collection that will appeal to critical social theorists and sociologists with an interest in the work of one of sociology's most influential critical readers of classical and contemporary texts.

\n Weight: 554g\n
Dimension: 241 x 162 x 22 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781138633179\n \n