Towards a theoretical perspective of “vibrant physicality”: From “sociology of the body” to an “embodied sociology” and beyond

Abstract: This paper presents a sketch of a theoretical perspective to aid in the sociological understanding of the phenomenon of “vibrant physicality”. “Vibrant physicality” is an enjoyable, embodied feeling which often results from and motivates participation in fitness practice. Yet, despite its importance, it has been neglected in existing theoretical and empirical literature. To address this gap, a theoretical perspective is proposed based on the following concepts: Merleau-Ponty’s “body-subject”, Leder’s “dys-appearance”, Shusterman’s pragmatic somaesthetics, and Csordas’s “embodiment” as process. The “vibrant physicality” perspective is then grounded in existential sociology’s insistence on the importance of feeling states in social life. It is further suggested that methods proposed by existential sociologists can be useful tools for the empirical investigation of “vibrant physicality”. Implications of the “vibrant physicality” perspective for the sociological study of practice more generally are also considered.