Body Polis

Körpergeschichte und Stadtgeschichte

Abstract

English abstract: This article calls for a connection between research in urban history and the history of the body. The authors contend that while studies on the history of the body are often situated in cities, urban settings are rarely at the center of their analysis. In the same way, bodies are simultaneously a ubiquitous and understudied topic in urban history. Rather than exploring the effects of cities on bodies or the limits that bodies set for changes in cities, the article proposes a focus on the co-constitution of bodies and cities. This shift in perspective leads to paying attention to the various ways in which cities and bodies have shaped each other over time – through health policies and building codes to dance halls and sports clubs. The authors argue that such a perspective ultimately allows examining the specificity and relevance of the body polis for body politics in history.