Much of my research focuses on the changing meanings of the body in history – and the political functions that those meanings serve. The emergence of scientific medicine in the 19th century helped create hierarchies of race and gender that remain with us, and are embedded in everyday language.
My book on the history of the body – This Mortal Coil: The Human Body in History and Culture explores the meanings of the body and its parts from the classical period to the present day. From the bones to the guts, from the heart to the genitals, it shows that every part of our bodies has a history, and that history informs the present. You can grab a copy here.
Reviews
‘Engrossing and provocative’, (Erin Sullivan, The Lancet)
‘Fay Bound Alberti proves again that she is an exquisite storyteller and compelling historian’, (Joanna Bourke, author of The Story of Pain)
‘Impressively tackles the enigmatic conceptions of the human body through the ages… Recommended’, Choice.