Living with an Asymmetric Body. Mastectomy, Resistances and Re-appropriation
Greco, Cinzia
Living with an Asymmetric Body. Mastectomy, Resistances and Re-appropriation - 2016.
27
In France, following the removal of a breast due to cancer, the majority of female patients does not undergo any surgical reconstruction, and continue to live with only one breast, or none at all. This article compares the strategies of resistance and re-appropriation of two NGOs, and those of patients who are not involved in any organization. One NGO promotes the social acceptance of bodily asymmetry while the other underlines the importance of personal acceptance of one’s new physical condition (known as reconstruction of identity). The patients, however, display a management of asymmetry that includes acts of resistance against bodily norms, as well as acts of accommodation with bodily norms. The article concludes that the processes of resistance to normative bodily representations are thus only partial ones.
Living with an Asymmetric Body. Mastectomy, Resistances and Re-appropriation - 2016.
27
In France, following the removal of a breast due to cancer, the majority of female patients does not undergo any surgical reconstruction, and continue to live with only one breast, or none at all. This article compares the strategies of resistance and re-appropriation of two NGOs, and those of patients who are not involved in any organization. One NGO promotes the social acceptance of bodily asymmetry while the other underlines the importance of personal acceptance of one’s new physical condition (known as reconstruction of identity). The patients, however, display a management of asymmetry that includes acts of resistance against bodily norms, as well as acts of accommodation with bodily norms. The article concludes that the processes of resistance to normative bodily representations are thus only partial ones.
Réseaux sociaux