Journal of Community zyxwvu & Applied Social Psychology, Vol. zyxw 6, 267-280 (1996) zy Body Poly-texts: Discourses of the Anorexic Body z HELEN MALSON’ Department zyxwvut of Psychology, University of East London, Romford Road, London El5 4LZ, UK JANE M. USSHER Deparment of Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London WClE 6BT, UK ABSTRACT It is now increasingly acknowledged that anorexia nervosa is a ‘culture-bound syndrome’ which must be understood within the context of an increasing idealization of female thinness and a high prevalence of dieting and body dissatisfaction, particularly amongst women and girls. Whilst this zyxwvut socioculturally-oriented perspective is important, it is also simplistic to conceptualize anorexia simply as a ‘slimmer’s disease’. The ways in which contemporary Western culture is imbricated in anorexia are both complex and multiple. This paper uses a discourse-analytic approach, informed by feminist Foucauldian theory, to examine some of the multiple and often conflicting meanings and discursive constructions of the (female) anorexic body. The paper is based on a series of interviews conducted with 23 women (21 diagnosed as anorexic and 2 self-diagnosed). The analysis focuses on the explication of two discourses: a romantic discourse and a discourse of Cartesian dualism evidenced in the interviews. By contrasting the very different ways in which these two discourses constitute the anorexic body, this paper aims to provide thereby a socioculturally contextualized and gender- oriented account of the multiple discursive constructions of ‘anorexia nervosa’ and ‘anorexic’ bodies. Implications for psychotherapeutic interventions are discussed. Key words: Anorexia nervosa; discourse; gender; subjectivity; romantic discourse; Cartesian dualism It is now increasingly acknowledged that sociocultural factors may play some part in the development and maintenance of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa (e.g. Shaw, 1995). The recent shift in societal preference for thinness, particularly in women, is well documented (DeJong and Kleck, 1986; Garner and Garfinkel, 1980; Gamer et al., 1980; Silverstein et al., 1986) and research indicates a substantial increase in numbers of diet-related articles in the media (Garner et al., 1980; Woolf, 1990). Concomitantly, body-satisfaction, preoccupations with body weight, shape and food, dieting and also bingeing and purging are disturbingly common in ‘To whom correspondence should be addressed. CCC 1052-9284/96/040267-14 01996 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.