The Fifth Element : Social Class and the Sociology of Anorexia

Muriel Darmon (1)

1 GRS - Groupe de recherche sur la socialisation

Epidemiological research has identified a significant association between upper or middle class membership and a woman's probability of becoming anorexic, but the extant literature has yet to address the social processes underlying this association. In order to fill this gap, this paper frames anorexia as a deviant career that entails the adoption of an anorexic set of practices and orientations that may be recognized as a distinctive type of Bourdieuian habitus. Drawing upon on ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative interviews conducted in France, this paper argues that the set of practices and orientations acquired through an anorexic career builds upon practices and orientations clearly identified with middle and upper class status.

Mots clés: ANOREXIC CAREER; DEVIANT CAREER; BODY; EATING DISORDERS (SOCIAL FACTORS); FOOD; HABITUS; HOSPITAL; RESISTANCE

Domaines: Sociologie

Muriel Darmon. The Fifth Element : Social Class and the Sociology of Anorexia. Sociology, 2009, 4 (43), pp.717-733. ⟨10.1177/0038038509105417⟩. ⟨halshs-00428573⟩