Thesis title: BEAUTY IN PRACTICE. Uncanny Technological, Aesthetic, and Political Implications of Plastic Surgery Practices
This dissertation explores the study of cosmetic surgery practices through the theoretical lenses of Science and Technology Studies, Medical Anthropology, and Feminist Technoscience Studies. The manuscript is structured in two parts.
Part One presents the research focus on elective cosmetic surgery practices. It discusses the theoretical frameworks that underpin the analysis, beginning with a review of the sociology of the body, followed by an examination of the key literature in STS and Feminist Technoscience Studies. The final chapter of this section details the methodology, research design, and a discussion of the research questions guiding the study.
Part Two delineates the research findings derived from qualitative ethnographic research conducted in Italy in 2022. Utilizing ethnographic narratives from my fieldwork, I address the central research question: how is a body made beautiful in practice? By investigating the intricate relationship between nature and artifice, the data illustrate the constructed nature of beauty while simultaneously reinforcing the notion of a “natural” body. Central to these findings is the concept of uncanny technoaesthetics, which I propose as a fruitful source of unease that warrants our attention. Ultimately, this work advocates for a critical reassessment of our assumptions regarding the human body, challenging its perceived fixity and encouraging an understanding of it as a dynamic assemblage.