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In this paper, we propose that there is a politics of encounters centered on the body at play in seeking asylum and refuge, and that it is critical to study how it unfolds from the point of view of both governing and agency. Building on existing work that looks at the role of embodiment in the political struggles of refugees, and leaning on Helmuth Plessner’s original thinking about social embodiment, we develop a theoretical understanding of this political dynamic, illustrating how it can help us make sense of power relations and forms of governance and (latent) resistance involved in it.

O presente estudo tem por escopo discutir as representações do corpo na sociedade contemporânea. Para tanto, apresentamos duas grandes vertentes teóricas acerca do tema. Um primeiro grupo de discussões associa o corpo à idéia de objeto, como que construído e modelado pela cultura. Um segundo grupo de discussões apresenta-o como sujeito, identidade. No estudo das representações sociais serão apresentados resultados de pesquisa qualitativa, realizada com a conjunção de entrevistas, discussão em grupo e observação participante. As pesquisas empíricas foram realizadas com estudantes e professores universitários na cidade de Juiz de Fora, MG, e as observações feitas em duas academias de ginástica também em Juiz de Fora. Acreditamos que estudar o corpo é revelar muito da face, dos paradoxos e inquietações do nosso atual contexto social. The present study has in its scope the discussion on the representations of the body in the current society. To that end, we present two major theoretical aspects on the subject. A first discussion group links the body to the idea of object, as it was build and shaped by the culture. A second discussion group presents it as the subject, identity. In the social representation study it will be presented the results of the qualitative research, conducted with the combination of interviews, group discussion and participant observation. The empiric researches were conducted with university students and teachers in Juiz de Fora, MG, and remarks made in two gym academies in Juiz de Fora as well. We believe that studying the body is revealing much of the face, the paradoxes and worries of our current social context.