Exercising power? The (post-)feminist politics of the “fit” female body in late modernity :

• During the last decades of the 1900’s, a commercial health industry transformed the previous Swedish public health regimen character-ized by strong state control. Running and exercising at gyms are now widely practiced, and new products, diets and trends constant-ly appear. In the ongoing research project “From people’s health to “healthism”?: New femininities and masculinities in health and exercise from 1970” (Vetenskapsrådet), I explore the changing dis-courses on health. I will attempt to connect historical research on health in Sweden, which has tended to focus on state documents while overlooking the decentralization and commercialization of health, with international research on health and body as central to late modern individual lifestyle projects. Relevant historical contexts here are liberalization and intensification of consumerist society, the emergence of a ‘flexible’ labor market and women’s changing so-cio-economic status and increased importance as part of the work force and as consumers.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Historia (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- History (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Genusstudier (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Gender Studies (hsv//eng)

Keyword

sport

feminism

postfeminism

gender

history

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kap (subject category)