1st Edition

The Obesity Epidemic Science, Morality and Ideology

By Michael Gard, Jan Wright Copyright 2005
226 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

232 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

232 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Increasing obesity levels are currently big news but do we think carefully enough about what this trend actually means? Everybody – including doctors, parents, teachers, sports clubs, businesses and governments – has a role to play in the ‘war on obesity’. But is talk of an obesity ‘crisis’ justified? Is it the product of measured scientific reasoning or age-old ‘habits of mind’? Why is it... Read more
1. Science and Fatness 2. The War on Obesity 3. The Ghost of a Machine 4. 'Modernity's Scourge': A brief history of obesity science 5. Fat or Fiction: Weighing in the 'obesity epidemic' 6. The search for a cause 7. Obesity Science for the People 8. Feminism and the 'obesity epidemic' 9. Interrogating expert knowledge: risk and the ethics of body weight 10. Beyond Body Weight

Biography

Michael Gard is Senior Lecturer in Physcial Education at Charles Sturt University, Australia.

Jan Wright is a Professor of Education and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Wollongong, Australia. 

'The Obesity Epidemic is a superb contribution to the sociology of knowledge, and an essential text for anyone who wants to understand the current moral panic over fat.' - Paul Campos, University of Colorado, author of The Obesity Myth

'The strength in this book lies in its ability to provide its readers with a critical view of obesity science by challenging them to go beyond traditional thinking ... reminding them of the harmful and stigmatizing consequences of adopting a 'war on obesity' mentality ... This book is an essential read for anyone who is interested in health, obesity, health promotion, and public health.' - Krista Rondeau, Dieticians of Canada