Women's body as a live political message: the individual and collective body in the vigils of Women in Black in Israel

The paper addresses the issue of the centrality of the body to social protest. It combines insights from theories of social movements, classical sociological theories and feminist perspectives on the lived body experience. Using data collected through ethnographic observation and interviews the pap...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tova Benski
Format: Article
Language:Spanish
Published: Universidad de Córdova; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas 2012-12-01
Series:Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios sobre Cuerpos, Emociones y Sociedad
Subjects:
Online Access:http://relaces.com.ar/index.php/relaces/article/view/221
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849328160333627392
author Tova Benski
author_facet Tova Benski
author_sort Tova Benski
collection DOAJ
description The paper addresses the issue of the centrality of the body to social protest. It combines insights from theories of social movements, classical sociological theories and feminist perspectives on the lived body experience. Using data collected through ethnographic observation and interviews the paper explores the bodily practices of the vigils of Women in Black in Haifa Israel as they are performed in the public space, in real time. The analysis explores the ways in which WIB dramatize their individual bodies in order to communicate an oppositional political message of defiance and the ways in which the bodily practices of the vigil give rise to a collective body which becomes the message. It further demonstrates that the collective body that emerges at the site of the vigil has a double meaning. It is both a metaphorical message of power delivered to society and at the same time it is a vibrant, embracing, warm living body which is experienced by the women as having a liminal existence. It is claimed that even though the analysis is focused on a specific Israeli case, it has general relevance to the study of the protesting body in other societies, and it has also a theoretical contribution towards the understanding of dynamic processes of protest in real time and space.
format Article
id doaj-art-ec4d3c76edb24da8bff9fa536b521671
institution Kabale University
issn 1852-8759
language Spanish
publishDate 2012-12-01
publisher Universidad de Córdova; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
record_format Article
series Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios sobre Cuerpos, Emociones y Sociedad
spelling doaj-art-ec4d3c76edb24da8bff9fa536b5216712025-08-20T03:47:40ZspaUniversidad de Córdova; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y TécnicasRevista Latinoamericana de Estudios sobre Cuerpos, Emociones y Sociedad1852-87592012-12-013101123139Women's body as a live political message: the individual and collective body in the vigils of Women in Black in IsraelTova Benski0Dept. of Behavioral Studies, the College of Management - Academic StudiesThe paper addresses the issue of the centrality of the body to social protest. It combines insights from theories of social movements, classical sociological theories and feminist perspectives on the lived body experience. Using data collected through ethnographic observation and interviews the paper explores the bodily practices of the vigils of Women in Black in Haifa Israel as they are performed in the public space, in real time. The analysis explores the ways in which WIB dramatize their individual bodies in order to communicate an oppositional political message of defiance and the ways in which the bodily practices of the vigil give rise to a collective body which becomes the message. It further demonstrates that the collective body that emerges at the site of the vigil has a double meaning. It is both a metaphorical message of power delivered to society and at the same time it is a vibrant, embracing, warm living body which is experienced by the women as having a liminal existence. It is claimed that even though the analysis is focused on a specific Israeli case, it has general relevance to the study of the protesting body in other societies, and it has also a theoretical contribution towards the understanding of dynamic processes of protest in real time and space.http://relaces.com.ar/index.php/relaces/article/view/221Cuerpo, cuerpo colectivo, corporización, protesta, mujer, activismo pacífico, liminalidad
spellingShingle Tova Benski
Women's body as a live political message: the individual and collective body in the vigils of Women in Black in Israel
Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios sobre Cuerpos, Emociones y Sociedad
Cuerpo, cuerpo colectivo, corporización, protesta, mujer, activismo pacífico, liminalidad
title Women's body as a live political message: the individual and collective body in the vigils of Women in Black in Israel
title_full Women's body as a live political message: the individual and collective body in the vigils of Women in Black in Israel
title_fullStr Women's body as a live political message: the individual and collective body in the vigils of Women in Black in Israel
title_full_unstemmed Women's body as a live political message: the individual and collective body in the vigils of Women in Black in Israel
title_short Women's body as a live political message: the individual and collective body in the vigils of Women in Black in Israel
title_sort women s body as a live political message the individual and collective body in the vigils of women in black in israel
topic Cuerpo, cuerpo colectivo, corporización, protesta, mujer, activismo pacífico, liminalidad
url http://relaces.com.ar/index.php/relaces/article/view/221
work_keys_str_mv AT tovabenski womensbodyasalivepoliticalmessagetheindividualandcollectivebodyinthevigilsofwomeninblackinisrael