Help me find a book?

November 18, 2022 9:36 AM

I read a book 20+ years ago in one of my academic programs - my recollection was that it was called "Skin", by a (female?) German author. It was an overview of how the idea of 'personhood' has changed over the years; it referenced and had photos of things like the beautified anatomical models of young women in the early days of anatomical research and teaching; it talked about torture in different cultural contexts and how the idea of whether the "self" is a thing that resides inside of your body or your body is an integral part of the Self has evolved over the last few centuries. Any help appreciated!
posted by Silvery Fish to Education (2 answers total)

Best answer: Not quite 20 years old and an American author, but is it by any chance Skin: A Natural History by Nina Jablonski?

Edit: Or Skin by Claudia Benthien?
posted by alligatorpear at 9:45 AM on November 18, 2022 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: It’s the Claudia Benthien book (tho the other one looks good too)! Thank you so much! You can imagine what happened when I tried to google “Skin book” in the google. 🫣
posted by Silvery Fish at 11:05 AM on November 18, 2022 [2 favorites]