This is a fully revised edition of a book that may fairly claim to have re-opened the sociology of the body as a legitimate area of enquiry. The book provides an unparalleled guide to all aspects of the sociology of the body. Each chapter has been revised and updated and the book contains new material that reflects changes in the field since the last edition. In particular, Turner's developing position on the centrality of vulnerability. Assured and innovative, this book provides the most authoritative statement of work on the sociology of the body by what many experts regard to be the leading writer in the field.