ABSTRACT
Somaesthetics is an interdisciplinary field of research originally emerging from pragmatist philosophy in the late 1990s but not extensively articulated and developed until the 21st century. Somatic norms and values are expressed throughout the vast range of meliorative disciplines and seem to go in so many different directions. Reflecting its pragmatist origins, somaesthetics emphasizes the importance of practice both in guiding the formation of theoretical ideas and in testing them in actual experience. This chapter examines the field of somaesthetics as both theory and practical somatic discipline, paying particular attention to the question of norms that govern its practice. It analyzes more generally the many and diverse norms of meliorative somaesthetic disciplines of practice. The chapter argues that the Swedish lab developed two distinctive product prototypes of somaesthetic design reflecting lessons from the workshop and follow-up work in somaesthetics. The instructor, who is obviously central to the workshop's success, is also directed by certain norms, aims, and values.
