This article aims to do two things. The first of these is to introduce the concept of
reflexive body techniques into the debate on body modification/maintenance. The
value of the concept in relation to this debate, in part, is that it ensures that we
conceive of the body as both a subject and an object, modifier and modified, and
that we thereby avoid the trap of conceptualizing modification in dualistic
(mind/body or body/society) terms. Second, the article seeks to explore the pattern
of distribution of practices of modification (conceived as reflexive body
techniques) through society and to reflect upon the potential usefulness of
multi-dimensional scaling as a tool for doing this. This aim is related to the first
aim as it is argued that the concept of reflexive body techniques serves to identify
and anchor practices ofmodification in a way that is amenable to both quantitative
and qualitative forms of analysis, as well as theoretical investigation.
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