Body Language: Sisters in Shape, Black Women's Fitness, and Feminist Identity Politics PDF
Preview Body Language: Sisters in Shape, Black Women's Fitness, and Feminist Identity Politics
Body Language Body Language Sisters in Shape, Black Women’s Fitness, and Feminist Identity Politics Kimberly J. Lau Temple University Press Philadelphia Temple UniversiTy press philadelphia, pennsylvania 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright © 2011 by Temple University All rights reserved published 2011 library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication Data lau, Kimberly J. Body language : sisters in shape, black women’s fitness, and feminist identity politics / Kimberly J. lau. p. cm. includes bibliographical references and index. isBn 978-1-4399-0308-7 (cloth : alk. paper) — isBn 978-1-4399-0309-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) — isBn 978-1-4399-0310-0 (e-book) 1. Feminism—United states. 2. Feminist theory—political aspects. 3. Group identity—United states. 4. African American women—social conditions. 5. self-care, Health—United states. 6. Women—socialization—United states. i. Title. HQ1181.U5l38 2011 305.48'896073—dc22 2011002813 The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American national standard for information sciences—permanence of paper for printed library materials, Ansi Z39.48-1992 printed in the United states of America 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1 For Melanie Marchand and the women of Sisters in Shape Contents Acknowledgments ix 1 The Anatomy of a movement 1 2 experience: spirituality, sisterhood, and the Unspeakable 39 3 performance: negotiating multiple Black Womanhoods 77 4 new Bodies of Knowledge 107 5 rearticulating Feminist identity politics 143 notes 165 references 171 index 185 Acknowledgments One of the ideas that i grapple with in Body Language con- cerns the limitations of language—the moments when lan- guage fails us, when our experiences and feelings seem to exceed discourse. This is one of those moments. Body Language would not have been possible without the love and labor of many people, and i attempt to thank them here, though i know that words simply cannot convey the extent of my appreciation. melanie marchand and the women of sisters in shape have brought this book to life, and i thank them for contributing their voices, their insights, and their stories. i dedicate this book to them, though such a gesture falls far short of my gratitude. Countless colleagues and friends have also contributed significantly to Body Language, some without even realizing it. i have benefited tre- mendously from critical responses to this project throughout its long life, and i want to start by thanking those whose names i may not even know: the conference, colloquium, and workshop organizers and par- ticipants who asked pressing questions and offered useful citations; the graduate students at other universities who offered insights and refer- ences after my talks; the anonymous reviewers and readers who so care-
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