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“I Am My Body”. Physical Selves of Police Officers in a Changing Institution

Author

Listed:
  • David Courpasson

    (EM - EMLyon Business School)

  • Vanessa Monties

Abstract

Most studies on identity work have overlooked the corporeal quality of occupational life. Despite calls to attempt such engagement, little is known about the role of the body in occupations for which corporeal elements are central in the affirmation of identity. This study aims to answer such calls by providing a detailed ethnography of police work. Focusing on four bodily practices, we demonstrate how fitness, intimidation, cleanliness, and toughness are central elements to the officers' construction of self. We thereby highlight the notion of physical selfhood as a way to understand the body/identity nexus among police officers and their capacity to resist new work requirements. We view bodies through a lens of resistance, rather than docility and compliance as much previous research has done. We aim to contribute to scholarship on identity work by portraying the politicization of bodies as a powerful component, thereby helping professionals to deflect some important institutional pressures affecting their work.

Suggested Citation

  • David Courpasson & Vanessa Monties, 2017. "“I Am My Body”. Physical Selves of Police Officers in a Changing Institution," Post-Print hal-02311902, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02311902
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Anica Zeyen & Oana Branzei, 2023. "Disabled at Work: Body-Centric Cycles of Meaning-Making," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(4), pages 767-810, July.
    2. Emmanouela Mandalaki & Marianna Fotaki, 2020. "The Bodies of the Commons: Towards a Relational Embodied Ethics of the Commons," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(4), pages 745-760, November.
    3. Zanette, Maria Carolina & Scaraboto, Daiane, 2019. "“To Spanx or not to Spanx”: How objects that carry contradictory institutional logics trigger identity conflict for consumers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 443-453.
    4. Robin Burrow & Rebecca Scott & David Courpasson, 2024. "Bloody suffering and durability : How chefs forge embodied identities in elite kitchens," Post-Print hal-04325642, HAL.
    5. Rafael Alcadipani, 2020. "Pandemic and macho organizations: Wake‐up call or business as usual?," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 734-746, September.
    6. Srinath Jagannathan & Rajnish Rai & Christophe Jaffrelot, 2022. "Fear and Violence as Organizational Strategies: The Possibility of a Derridean Lens to Analyze Extra-judicial Police Violence," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 175(3), pages 465-484, January.
    7. Nora Meziani & Laure Cabantous, 2020. "Acting Intuition into Sense: How Film Crews Make Sense with Embodied Ways of Knowing," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(7), pages 1384-1419, November.

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