Meeting the challenge: the social constitution of difficulties with eating

ABSTRACT
A dichotomy has been identified between traditional and
feminist accounts of 'anorexia nervosa', in which both
literatures tend towards universalising accounts of the
development of difficulties with eating (focusing on either
the individual, or social factors). This study draws on
post-structuralist theory to examine the social
constitution of 'anorexia', on the basis of interviews with
six women who had been discharged from a hospital programme
for their eating difficulties. The analysis identified
discourses which were used by these women to account for
their difficulties, and examined the subject positions
allocated to the women through these constructions. It is
argued that in order to move beyond the dualism inherent in
reductionist literature, it is necessary to consider the
meanings of eating difficulties which are produced and
regulated in everyday practices.

This thesis supplied via ROAR to UEL-registered users is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, and duplication of any part of the material is not permitted, except for your personal use for the purposes of non-commercial research and private study in electronic or print form. You must obtain permission from the copyright-holder for any other use. Electronic or print copies may not be offered, for sale or otherwise, to anyone. No quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement.