Introduction. The turn of the body

Growing academic interest in the human body, in both the humanities and social sciences, is an intellectual response to fundamental changes in the contemporary- relationship between bodies, technology and society. Scientific advances in medicine and genetics, in particular the new reproductive technologies, stem-cell research, cryonics and cloning techniques, have given the human body a problematic social and cultural status. The global market for the sale of organs has also raised many legal and moral questions about the ownership and economic value of human bodies. For many bio-gerontologists, ageing, disease and death no longer appear to be necessary-, immutable facts about the human condition, but contingent and therefore malleable features of human existence. Quite simply the longevity project of rejuvenative medicine proposes that death is avoidable. Many of these medical techniques- such as cryonics for freezing bodies- are still at an experimental stage, but aspects of these technologies will eventually begin to influence our lives in dramatic ways. Alongside these developments, there is an array of procedures associated with cosmetic surgery that are now simply routine features of the management of personal appearance.