Buch, Englisch, 120 Seiten, PB, Format (B × H): 146 mm x 211 mm, Gewicht: 202 g
Buch, Englisch, 120 Seiten, PB, Format (B × H): 146 mm x 211 mm, Gewicht: 202 g
ISBN: 978-1-84126-160-7
Verlag: Meyer & Meyer Sport
Working Out My Salvation is a study of the motivations that drive increasing numbers of people (especially young people) into the contemporary institution of the gymnasium. It argues that the gym offers its members the promise of positive physical transformation through discipline. Members are provided with corrective techniques of 'working out' which are intended to create a slim and beautiful physical appearance. The promise of the gym is salvational in nature promising the individual an opportunity to change their body and their "self" suggesting that a transformed, slim, and beautiful body has become equated with being a successful person.
The purpose of this book is to construct a theology of the gymnasium. The equation of visible health with material success is explored through a discussion of the powers and disciplines that construct the contemporary human body. Through discussions of Christian asceticism and the moral dimensions of western medicine the book argues that in today’s consumer society, obesity has become equivocated with original sin. The salvational nature of the gym is a response to this physical and social threat of impurity. This study of the religious elements of the gym is intended to provide insight into popular perceptions of the body in Western culture.
Zielgruppe
sports scientists
