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The Palgrave Handbook of Biology and Society pp 519–540Cite as

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The Embodiment Dynamic over the Life Course: A Case for Examining Cancer Aetiology

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Abstract

In this chapter, we theoretically frame embodiment as a key concept to understanding how health is constructed over the life course. The background literature is described, and we put forward the embodiment dynamic as a way of understanding complex interactions between individuals and their environments over the life course. We then illustrate how this dynamic may be used to understand social-to-biological processes and socially patterned health outcomes. Taking the example of cancer aetiology, we examine some of the processes involved in the development of cancers over the life course.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’épidémiologie et analyses en santé publique, Faculté de Médecine French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, Toulouse, France

    Michelle Kelly-Irving & Cyrille Delpierre

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  1. Michelle Kelly-Irving
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  2. Cyrille Delpierre
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    Maurizio Meloni

  2. School of Management, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    John Cromby

  3. Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

    Des Fitzgerald

  4. Department of Anthropology, Laval University, Québec, Canada

    Stephanie Lloyd

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Kelly-Irving, M., Delpierre, C. (2018). The Embodiment Dynamic over the Life Course: A Case for Examining Cancer Aetiology. In: Meloni, M., Cromby, J., Fitzgerald, D., Lloyd, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Biology and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52879-7_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52879-7_22

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-52878-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-52879-7

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