Theorising the construction of self-injured bodies as disordered bodies

In Western societies, people who self-injure are often viewed as deviant. As a medicalised, pathologised, and stigmatised practice, self-injury embodies the opposite of healthy, moral and desirable behaviour. In this theoretical article, we argue that self-injury can be understood as an issue of social ordering and that self-injured bodies are constructed as disordered bodies. Two analytical concepts for understanding this construction are explored: maintaining order and putting in order . The first term refers to the separating activities that keep self-injured bodies apart from ‘normal’ bodies – people who do not engage in self-injuring practice. The second, putting in order, covers the various normative activities and efforts aimed at making self-injured bodies conform and be in order. Analysing these two processes enables an understanding of how society manages self-injured bodies to maintain and restore its sense of order, control, and stability.