The Body, Dance and Cultural Theory

HELEN THOMAS is Reader in Sociology at Goldsmiths College, University of London. She has published numerous articles on dance and presented papers on her work in Europe, North America and Japan. She is editor of Dance, Gender and Culture and Dance in the City, and is author of Dance, Modernity and Culture. She recently completed an AHRB funded study, Dancing into the Third Age: Social Dance as Cultural Text.

Introduction.- PART 1: CULTURAL BODIES The Body in Culture: Before the Body Project.- The Body in Culture: The Body Project.- Ethnography Dances Back.- PART 2: DANCE, THE BODY AND CULTURAL THEORY The Body in Dance.- Reconstructing the Dance: In Search of Authenticity?.- Dance and Difference: Performing/Representing/Re-Writing the Body.- Dancing the Night Away: Rave/Club Culture.- Conclusion.- References.- Index.