Embodied Social Justice

Embodied Social Justice introduces an embodied approach to working with oppression. Grounded in current research, the book integrates key findings from education, psychology, sociology, and somatic studies while addressing critical gaps in how these fields have addressed pervasive patterns of social injustice.

At the heart of the book, a series of embodied narratives bring to life everyday experiences of oppression through evocative descriptions of how power implicitly shapes body image, interpersonal space, eye contact, gestures, and the use of touch. This second edition includes two new "body stories" from research participants living and working in the global South. Supplemental guidelines for practice, updated references, and new community resources have also been added.

Designed for social workers, counselors, educators, and other human service professionals working with members of disenfranchised and marginalized communities, Embodied Social Justice offers a conceptual framework and model of practice to assist in identifying, unpacking, and transforming embodied experiences of oppression from the inside out.

Rae Johnson is a social worker, somatic movement therapist, and scholar-activist working at the intersections of embodiment and social justice. They are the author of Elemental Movement (2000), Knowing in our Bones (2011) and Embodied Activism (2023). They teach internationally on embodied activism, nonverbal expressions of implicit bias, and the poetic body.