Reflections on the History of the Body. Interdisciplinary views

This work is a compilation of communications presented in the first edition of a Course on the History of the Body, which took place in 2022, in a hybrid format, online and in person, at the House of Knowledge of the University of Minho.

In addition to having the support of this cultural unit, this training was promoted by two research centres: Lab2PT (Laboratory of Landscapes, Heritage and Territory), a research centre of the University of Minho, and CIUHCT (Interuniversity Centre for the History of Science and Technology), University of Lisbon and New University of Lisbon.

The history of the human body began to consolidate itself as a field of study in the second half of the 20th century, strongly influenced by the Annales school and the work of several historians, starting in the eighties of the last century, when authors such as Michel Foucault, Norbert Elias and Peter Brown began to challenge traditional narratives that neglected the materiality of the body. Foucault, in particular, problematizing biopolitics and the genealogy of power highlights the way in which modern institutions shape and control bodies, shaping subjectivities and social practices. Elias, in turn, highlighted the “civilization of customs” and the way in which human behavior was refined over time. The body, which was previously often neglected or considered only as a passive object in the historical context, began to be recognized as an active subject and a field of social and cultural significance. Attention to the body began to include more and more themes of reflection, such as sexuality, health, illness, hygiene, clothing and beauty standards, power dynamics, each revealing fundamental aspects of social and cultural dynamics. Today, it continues to bring to light essential questions about how we live, feel and experience our bodies in very different contexts.