Human Identity and Identification

This book offers an overview of human identity and identification, examining the whole body by integrating biological and social sciences and theories.

Rebecca Gowland (Author), Tim Thompson (Author)

9780521713665, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 17 January 2013

233 pages, 9 b/w illus. 4 tables
24.5 x 17.3 x 1.1 cm, 0.47 kg

Few things are as interesting to us as our own bodies and, by extension, our own identities. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the relationship between the body, environment and society. Reflecting upon these developments, this book examines the role of the body in human identification, in the forging of identities, and the ways in which it embodies our social worlds. The approach is integrative, taking a uniquely biological perspective and reflecting on current discourse in the social sciences. With particular reference to bioarchaeology and forensic science, the authors focus on the construction and categorisation of the body within scientific and popular discourse, examining its many tissues, from the outermost to the innermost, from the skin to DNA. Synthesising two, traditionally disparate, strands of research, this is a valuable contribution to research on human identification and the embodiment of identity.

Dedication
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. Categories of identity and identification
3. The skin
4. Blood and guts
5. The skeleton
6. Biomolecular identification and identity
7. Intentional modification of the phenotype
8. Conclusions: identity and identification
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Biotechnology [TCB], Medical anthropology [PSXM], Human biology [PSX], Genetics [non-medical PSAK], Anthropology [JHM]