Fat: A Cultural History of Obesity

by Sander L. Gilman

The modern world is faced with a terrifying new ‘disease’, that of ‘obesity’. As people get fatter, we have come to see excess weight as unhealthy, morally repugnant and socially damaging. Fat it seems has long been a national problem and each age, culture and tradition have all defined a point beyond which excess weight is unacceptable, ugly or corrupting. This fascinating new book by Sander Gilman looks at the interweaving of fact and fiction about obesity, tracing public concern from the mid-nineteenth century to the modern day. He looks critically at the source of our anxieties, covering issues such as childhood obesity, the production of food, media coverage of the subject and the emergence of obesity in modern China. Written as a cultural history, the book is particularly concerned with the cultural meanings that have been attached to obesity over time and to explore the implications of these meanings for wider society. The history of these debates is the history of fat in culture, from nineteenth-century opera to our global dieting obsession. Fat, A Cultural History of Obesity is a vivid and absorbing cultural guide to one of the most important topics in modern society.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Fat, Academic, History, Fat Studies

200 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

About the author

Sander L. Gilman is an American cultural and literary historian. He is known for his contributions to Jewish studies and the history of medicine. He is the author or editor of over ninety books. Gilman's focus is on medicine and the echoes of its rhetoric in social and political discourse.

Reviews

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - The information and content of this book is very interesting and has moments of really connecting the dots. However, I don't think it is argued as strongly or clearly as it needs to be to be a really great book, either for an academic or lay audience. Still, I'm glad I read it and it definitely gave me a lot of nuggets to mull on

[Erin McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 174 page book with 399 citations. Honestly, it was a little dry. But with so much research, I'd give it a solid 4

[Scarlett Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting ideas, convoluted writing style.

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnificent. This book captures the great potential of cultural history. Gilman investigates the history and historiography of obesity. But even more significantly Gilman provides an historiography of the word 'epidemic,' showing how it is used politically.

I am incredibly impressed by this book. Where it is useful for scholars beyond food or leisure studies is through the discussion of modernity. Gilman argues that obesity is a management strategy (or not) for modernity. So - ironically - scholars of modernity can find an impressive counterargument through this monograph.

[K R · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting investigation of obesity.

The book makes good points, but stops short of connecting them to established theories. Organization and evidence sometimes feel haphazard. Some (small) claims are not backed up.

[Kim Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives specific context to how our ideas about obesity have been formed and fixed by what is written then taken to be absolute truth. Thought provoking.