The embodiment dynamic over the life course: A case for examining cancer aetiology

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.