BODY, MEANING AND IDENTITY THROUGH HERMANEUTICS BY DAVID LE BRETON

Abstract

This article proposes a critical analysis of the conception of the body in the work of French anthropologist David Le Breton, highlighting its relevance for understanding the human experience in contemporary times. Based on a qualitative and exploratory approach, based on a systematic bibliographic review, the study examines three central axes of the Anthropology of the Body: the body as a biographical object and symbolic construction; the body as a place of meaning and existential experience; and the body as an expression of identity and cultural interaction. Based on the author's classic and recent works, as well as studies that dialogue with his theoretical production, it is demonstrated that the body goes beyond its biological dimension, constituting itself as a territory for the inscription of affections, values, and belongings. The analysis reveals how social, aesthetic, religious, and digital practices interfere in the perception and experience of the body, evidencing tensions between lived corporeality and represented corporeality. The paper also discusses the impacts of medicalization, aesthetic standardization, and digital exposure on bodily experience, highlighting the urgency of sensitively listening to the body as a means of reintegrating the subject with himself and the world. It is concluded that the symbolic reading proposed by Le Breton offers consistent theoretical support for rethinking the body as language, memory, and resistance, contributing significantly to contemporary studies in anthropology, education, health, and culture.