Body Language: Sisters in Shape, Black Women's Fitness, and Feminist Identity Politics - Softcover

Lau, Kimberly J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1439903093 ISBN 13: 9781439903094

Publisher: Temple University Press, 2011

Synopsis

In her evocative ethnographic study, Body Language, Kimberly Lau traces the multiple ways in which the success of an innovative fitness program illuminates what identity means to its Black female clientele and how their group interaction provides a new perspective on feminist theories of identity politics--especially regarding the significance of identity to political activism and social change. Sisters in Shape, Inc., Fitness Consultants (SIS), a Philadelphia company, promotes balance in physical, mental, and spiritual health. Its program goes beyond workouts, as it educates and motivates women to make health and fitness a priority. Discussing the obstacles at home and the importance of the group's solidarity to their ability to stay focused on their goals, the women speak to the ways in which their commitment to reshaping their bodies is a commitment to an alternative future. Body Language shows how the group's explorations of black women's identity open new possibilities for identity-based claims to recognition, justice, and social change.

About this title

About the Author

Kimberly J. Lau is Professor of Literature and American Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the author of New Age Capitalism: Making Money East of Eden.

Edition details

• Publisher: Temple University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1439903093
• ISBN 13: 9781439903094
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208