Breast

A Cultural and Political History

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

266 kr

Kommande

Beskrivning

While sometimes described as a secondary sex characteristic, the female breast is of primary interest. It nourishes but also seduces, it is considered sacred or depraved – depending on the era, culture, context and perspective. The way breasts are seen, shown or concealed has been the subject of debate and scandal for centuries. Breasts, in other words, are by no means 'private parts': on the contrary, they're a subject of great public interest. The breast is the organ through which some of the central cultural and political conflicts of Western societies have been conducted, now and in the past. But the power of the breast does not lie in any ‘natural’ force. It lies in the cultural characteristics that we attribute to it and that make it a symbol of femininity, naturalness, motherliness or sexuality.Zimmermann takes the reader on an extended tour of how the breast and its symbolism are politically constructed. She examines this ambiguous and versatile body part from various perspectives but always with a political question in mind. This is a book about art and pornography, fashion and gender norms, the ideal of motherhood and heteronormativity, body positivity and self-determination, sexism and protest. She shows that the dialectic between revealing and concealing, visibility and invisibility, played out discursively in different fields, is a key to understanding the social, cultural and political significance of the breast. Her book delves into the past, seeking to explain the origins of a conflict that has surfaced again and again in different times and places and is still with us today.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2026-05-28
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:256
Förlag:Polity Press
ISBN:9781509567829
Översättare:Barfoot, Nicola

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Mer om författaren

Anja Zimmermann is Professor of Art History at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

Recensioner i media

"Finally, a book about the unsettling and even revolutionary potential of the female breast."Mithu M. Sanyal, author of Rape: From Lucretia to #MeToo"No other part of the body is the subject of so much controversy. Art historian Anja Zimmermann explains the changing symbolism of the breast and what a 'progressive politics of the breast' would be."Die Zeit"Not too big, not too small, covered up, but not invisible either – female breasts have always been subject to paradoxical demands. Art historian Anja Zimmermann explains why breasts are still not liberated today."Der Spiegel"Anja Zimmermann uses numerous examples from art, history and ethnology, as well as current advertising campaigns such as the launch of a sports bra that showed different breast shapes, to demonstrate how the perception and evaluation of this part of the body has changed over the centuries and that the 'judgements' are almost always made by men: it would be unthinkable to advertise briefs for men with different penises. The female breast is an 'overdetermined body part,' writes Zimmermann, refreshingly advocating for freeing the breast from its many tasks and simply letting it hang."Missy Magazine

Innehållsförteckning

The Politics of the Breast: An IntroductionChapter One: Tops On! Tops Off!The ambiguity of the in/visible breastThe breast as a political organ: the role of in/visibilityLust, vice, pain: visual narratives of sinful and virtuous visibility'Then' and 'now', as seen in clothingThe corset as a visibility machine'Artificial' and 'natural' visibilities: the enlightened breastThe 'liberated' breast makes itself useful: breastfeedingNew views: the breast as a medical problemModern breasts and new visibilitiesThe breasts of the 'other' woman: the new visibility of the breast as racism'White' breasts - 'Black' breastsChapter Two: From Venus to Pin-Up and BackThe breast between art and pornographyVenusIdeals of modestyModest or immodest? How female bodies became VenusesPaleo pornThe gender politics of the gazeAnother 'other' woman: the 'Hottentot Venus'Nudes, power, pornographyBaring the bosom: feminist provocationsBeauty... and back to Venus againChapter Three: Breasts and Other Illusions of the NaturalFantasies and fictions of lactationPolitics makes nature makes science: breastfeeding propaganda and the class of mammalsThe asexual breastPoison from the breastAnimal breasts - human breastsHalf breastsBreasts and foreignnessMale nipples and male dignityThe ethics of the artificial breastBreastfeeding/chest-feeding and a lawBreasts, balls and other equipmentScarsChapter Four: I Am GodThe breast as an organ of protestAre breasts like swords?Amazons as role models'Anarchic Amazons': the women of 1968 and their breastsBurning bras: feminism as breast liberation?'Beautiful women': the limits of protestHysteria, ecstasy and the dance of the maenads: the naked breast as a sign of the 'other'The two bodies of Angela Merkel: breasts and powerConclusion: Weighty BreastsAcknowledgementsList of FiguresBibliographyNotes