Body-Mapping the Affective Politics of Bariatric Surgery

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Health and Illness
• Qualitative Health Research
• Obesity Studies

Background:

• Bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery, WLS) is a common but debated intervention for obesity.
• Existing research often overlooks the embodied and affective dimensions of WLS.
• A neomaterialist framework offers a novel lens for understanding patient experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the pre- and post-surgical experiences of women who underwent WLS.
• To uncover the somatic, embodied, and affective elements shaping WLS journeys.
• To analyze the affective politics and discourses surrounding WLS.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving four women in Canada who had WLS at least one year prior.
• Creation of life-size body-maps to represent pre- and post-surgical experiences.
• Affective analytic approach to interpret body-map data.

Main Results:

• Body-mapping revealed complex affective experiences, including 'shades of gray'.
• Participants described intricate sensorial-cognitive relationships with food and their bodies post-WLS.
• The study identified entanglements of anticipated and unexpected bodily sensations and affects.

Conclusions:

• Body-maps effectively highlight the affective dimensions and politics of WLS.
• WLS is shaped by hegemonic discourses and generates complex, sometimes unruly, affects.
• This research underscores the importance of embodied experiences in understanding WLS outcomes.