Holistic and fragmented bodies

Throughout history, Wegenstein argues, the perception of the body has evolved and changed - passing from a fragmented, detached perspective to one of "holism," considering the body as a single system. From the pre-modern to the modern eras, these perceptions passed through numerous different stages. For example, psychoanalysis viewed disorders of the body as a resulting from a lack of a "unified" body image (anorexia, for example, derives from a "mourning for a pre-Oedpial body," i.e. a younger, sexless self). As the perception of the body moved toward a more holistic state, it became increasingly clear (in Wegenstein's terms) that the body functioned as a mediating agent, the site at which the individual (constantly and necessarily) comes into contact with his or her surroundings. From a phenomenological perspective, this is how the "body extends into the world" - through the sensory apparatus (as media artists, we must ask, how does this "extension" process work in the other way - the world mediating the body?).

The current postmodern era is one of fluid, customizable bodies. This can happen in the virtual (online personas, Photoshopped celebrities, etc.) or physical (plastic surgery, etc.) realms; even though it is clear that these changes break the unity of the body (and are often patently false), they have become socially accepted, standard practices. What does this say for the concept of "holism"? Are we moving away from holism yet again - a concept Wegenstein ties to the rise of technologies intimately associated with or merged into the body (as we discussed in class last week, our cell phones can be deeply personal items that also "extend" us into the world). Is the extension of the body into the world - pushed forth by technological advancements - necessarily a process of continuing fragmentation?