One of us : conjoined twins and the future of normal / Alice Domurat Dreger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dreger, Alice Domurat.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conjoined twins.

Abnormalities, Human.

Physical Description:

198 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2004.

Summary:

We all know from personal experience that anatomy matters. Most of us go through minor anatomical adjustments every day -- bleaching teeth, shaving here and there -- to fit social assumptions about bodies and identities. Some of us undergo more major procedures -- choosing hair transplants over baldness, a facelift over gravity. But what of children who are born conjoined, or with ambiguous genitalia, or with relatively short limbs? Must children born with socially challenging anatomies have their bodies changed because others cannot be expected to change their minds? One of Us views conjoined twinning and other "abnormalities" from the point of view of people living with these anatomies, and considers these issues within the larger historical context of anatomical politics. Anatomy matters, Alice Domurat Dreger tells us, because the senses we possess, the muscles we control, and the resources we require to keep our bodies alive limit and guide what we experience in any given context. Her thought-provoking and compassionate work exposes the breadth and depth of that context -- the extent of the social frame upon which we construct the "normal." In doing so, the book calls into question assumptions about anatomy and normality, and transforms our understanding of how we are all intricately and inextricably joined.

Contents:

1 The Limits of Individuality 17

2 Split Decisions 51

3 What Sacrifice 83

4 Freeing the Irish Giant 113

5 The Future of Anatomy 142.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [157]-187) and index.

ISBN:

0674012941

OCLC:

53231253