Stigma, Carnival and the Grotesque Body

1. REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:

Anderson, Tammy L. (ed.). 2014. Understanding Deviance: Connecting Classical and Contemporary Perspectives. New York: Routledge.

Reading Assignment 6

Stigma, Carnival, and the Grotesque Body

Introduction, Tammy L. Anderson /

1. Stigma and Social Identity from Stigma, Erving Goffman /
2. Why do People get Tattoos?, Miliann Kang and Katherine Jones /
3. Big Handsome Men, Bears and Others: Virtual Constructions of ‘Fat Male Embodiment’, Lee F. Monaghan /
4. Connections: Explaining Body Deviance with Stigma and Carnival of the Grotesque, David Lane, Critical Thinking Questions /

Points Possible: 20

Deliverable Length: 3 page

Answer two questions:

1. In the Introduction Anderson notes three types of stigma in Goffman’s formulation (p. 254). Identify and discuss each of these types, paying particular attention to how stigma may negatively impact the person’s social identity. Which of the three types of stigma do you think is the most difficult for the possessor to overcome?

2. Goffman (p. 257) outlines a dual perspective on stigmatization in social interaction. Discuss this difference-between stigma as known about, evident, and discredited versus stigma as not immediately apparent but descreditable in the process of social interaction. These alternatives demonstrate that stigma(tization) is a constant process of definition and not necessarily a final product or judgment.

3. In recent years the conceptualization of deviance has been influenced by cultural and literary processes of definition and meaning. As Lane argues,

4. Bakhtin’s concept of “the carnival of the grotesque” links the stigma of body deviance (e.g., physical imperfections or behaviors which test the boundaries of beauty or of disability) to resistance by those groups who are negatively labeled. Furthermore, the resistance of body stigmatization celebrates the positive qualities of being physically different. Lane calls this resistance “grotesque realism.” From the table on p. 298, discuss the relationship between stigma and carnival with regard to identity and language.

Rubric

Reading Assignment Rubric

Total Points: 20

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