Does the body have a history? The body's status as a biological and therefore "natural" category would seem to place it beyond the purview of historians. But some historians, drawing from work in anthropology, feminist theory and cultural studies, have argued that the categories we think of as most basic and unchanging are, instead, mutable and historically contingent. Through primary and secondary sources, this course explores recent efforts to historicize the human body and to learn how it has been conceptualized and lived in different periods. Topics include historical constructions of race, sexual difference, sexual identity, health and illness. Evaluation will be based on class participation, weekly critical writing, and a final paper. Enrollment limited.
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