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November 23, 2009
Book|Report
A new look at staring

By Dana Goldman

Professor of Women’s Studies Rosemarie Garland-Thomson is enthralled with how we look: both how we examine the physical world and the people in it, and how we ourselves appear in public spaces. In her new book, “Staring: How We Look” (Oxford University Press, 2009), Garland-Thomson explores staring relationships that occur when someone who’s “starable” is encountered by a “staree.” Her starable subjects range from burn victims to amputees, and Garland-Thomson reveals the ways they all manage inevitable encounters with people who can’t help but look.

Listen to Garland-Thomson talk about why we stare.

Listen to an excerpt from “Staring: How We Look.”