Body and Stone (The Body and the City in Western Civilization) (Frontier of the Century)

Author: (American) Santner, translated by Huang Yuwen
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-07-01
Features: This book is an alternative cultural history that examines the interaction between urban formation and development and human life. The author breaks the traditional framework of historical research, forging a unique path by focusing on two key elements—human bodies and cities—to explore the evolution of human civilization and establish a framework for reconstructing the history of human civilization. In Santner's framework, the history of urban development since ancient Greece is condensed into three types of body images, each named after different body organs, which correspondingly represent the relationship between bodily experiences and urban images in three important periods. The first type is named "The Power of Voice and Sight": Through concrete examples of social life, it demonstrates how people in the classical era of Greece and Rome participated in urban life, shaped urban images, and how urban forms disciplined bodily behavior. The display of these bodily behaviors in urban spaces reflects, from a specific perspective, the ideology and cultural trends of Greece and Rome. The second type is called "The Movement of the Heart," primarily exploring urban concepts and bodily experiences during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, as well as how these contradictions were reflected in urban spaces. The third type is named "Arteries and Veins." The author argues that Harvey's discovery of the circulatory theory of the human body greatly influenced the transformation of urban concepts. The interconnected and unobstructed roads resemble the arteries and veins of the human body, while the circulatory system becomes the central design in urban structures. Emphasizing smoothness, speed, and comfort has shaped the modern urban design model to date, which provides convenience but simultaneously excludes human bodily participation and the presence in public spaces. The past public spaces no longer exist, individualism has replaced collective consciousness, and people's ability to perceive and feel has weakened. Comfort and speed come at the cost of numbness to the human spirit and empathy. Through the description of these three types, Santner attempts to convey that culture has played a significant role in creating and utilizing urban spaces, but the current urban concepts have led to the absence of culture and the numbness of people's souls. Only by returning to the body and returning to the senses can humanity truly restore the body and culture that have been marginalized by modern urban civilization. This is the purpose and conclusion of the book. Driven by concerns for modern civilization, the book presents an alternative perspective on historical and modern development, encompassing both history and sociology, with a broad vision and innovative viewpoints, making it highly valuable for reference and inspiration.