(Felt) Body. Sports, Medicine, and Media

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the body has been a generally recognized object of investigation in German-speaking sociology. At the same time, the body is also discussed as a subject of empirical research and as a fundamental theoretical concept. A distinct feature of German sociology is that it differentiates between the physical body (Körper) and the felt body (Leib). This article explains both the philosophical foundation of this conceptual distinction and its sociological relevance and presents research in the fields of sports, medicine, and media.We show the different ways in which the felt body and the physical body serve as a theoretical basis in sociological investigations and/or are treated as empirical objects.