From the neglected body to the constructed body: Body and identity in the diverging fitness 'Fields' in Eskişehir

This study aims to understand the transformation of the body from being singular, standardized, and considered a neglected part of collective identity to a value-laden, multiple, variable, and message-conveying part of individual identity. It examines this shift through concepts such as consumption, identity, status, field, capital, and habitus. Conducted with a phenomenological approach, the study investigates how individuals participating in fitness activities in Eskişehir maintain and/or improve their social positions. It focuses on their bodily transformation strategies, experiences, the value they assign to their bodies, and whether the perceive fitness as a field of struggle. Fitness centers in this study were categorized into three groups: rationalized, resisting rationalization, and progressing in rationalization. Participant observation was conducted for 42 months in 2 fitness centers fitting these categories in 14 neighborhoods of Eskişehir urban center. Additionally, in-depth interviews were held in 15 fitness centers with 34 participants, including 14 male, gym members from lower socio-economic status and 13 male gym members from middle socio-economic, as well as two female and five male experts regardless of their social positions. Findings indicate that fitness centers are not merely physical spaces but fields of social struggle. Differences in strategies for constructing bodily capital and converting it into other forms of capital were observed among male participants. This study contributes to the sociology of the body by offering a novel perspective. Keywords: Body, Bodily Capital, Fitness, Field, Struggle, Habitus, Consumption, Identity, McDonaldization