Oppression and the Body: Roots, Resistance, and Resolutions - Softcover

Christine Caldwell; Lucia Bennett Leighton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1623172012 ISBN 13: 9781623172015

Publisher: North Atlantic Books, 2018

Synopsis

A thought-provoking anthology examining how power, privilege, and oppression shape our lived experiences through the body.

Bringing together scholars, activists, artists, and practitioners, this timely collection explores the concept of embodiment and the ways in which bodies become sites of both oppression and resistance. Through a diverse range of perspectives, the contributors examine how social structures influence the experiences of people whose bodies have historically been marginalized or excluded.

Combining theory, personal narrative, and creative expression, the anthology investigates how identity, culture, and power intersect with the body, while offering pathways toward greater inclusion, understanding, and social change.

Topics explored include:

• Embodiment and identity
• Power, privilege, and systemic oppression
• Social inclusion and marginalization
• Body image, stigma, and representation
• Activism and embodied allyship
• Strategies for reclaiming agency and self-expression

Addressing the experiences of individuals from a wide range of communities, the essays consider how bodies are perceived, represented, and treated within contemporary Western society, while highlighting the resilience, creativity, and humanity of those whose voices have too often been overlooked.

Offering both critical analysis and practical reflections, this pioneering anthology invites readers to think more deeply about embodiment, social justice, and what it means to stand in solidarity with others through informed, compassionate action.

About this title

About the Author

LUCIA BENNETT LEIGHTON, MA, LPCC, R-DMT, has a master's degree from Naropa University's Somatic Counseling Psychology program. She has been writing and researching in the field of somatic psychology for several years and considers her exploration of oppression and embodiment the cornerstone of her career as a professional counselor; she thus plans to continue writing and researching on the topic for many years to come. Currently, she is a school-based therapist as well as an eating disorder therapist and uses a body-centered, social justice-based approach to counseling. Bennett Leighton's research and writing has been published in JAMA Psychiatry, Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, and American Journal of Dance Therapy. She lives in Denver, Colorado, with her wife Erin.

CHRISTINE CALDWELL, PhD, BC-DMT, LPC, NCC, ACS, is the founder and professor emeritus of the Somatic Counseling Program at Naropa University, where she taught somatic counseling, clinical neuroscience, research, and diversity issues. Her work, called the Moving Cycle, spotlights natural play, early physical imprinting, fully sequenced movement processes, the opportunities in addiction, and a trust in the authoritative knowledge of the body. She has taught at the University of Maryland, George Washington University, Concordia University, Seoul Women's University, Southwestern College, and Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, and trains, teaches, and lectures internationally. She has published over thirty articles and chapters; her books include Getting Our Bodies Back, Getting In Touch, and Bodyfulness.

Edition details

• Publisher: North Atlantic Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1623172012
• ISBN 13: 9781623172015
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272