Bodies and Language

This book critically addresses the role of language in our collective construction of normal bodies. Addressing a range of concerns linked with visible and invisible, chronic and terminal conditions, the volume probes issues in and around patient and caregiver accounts. Focussing on body conditions associated with breast cancer, Alzheimers disease, (type-1) diabetes, epilepsy, partial hearing and autism, the book draws on a range of critical theories to contest collectively assembled notions of abnormality, disability and impairments. It also addresses the need for applied sociolinguists to take account of how our researching practices - the texts we produce, the orientations we assume, the theoretical grounds from which we proceed-- create meanings about bodies and normalcy, and the importance of remaining ever vigilant and civically responsible in what we do or claim to do.