An important intervention into feminist debates about identity, embodiment, ontology and epistemology, Little Vast Rooms of Undoing is a groundbreaking analysis of one of THE crucibles in which the social and the cultural are formed, tested, undermined and broken. An important stimulus to new ways of thinking about 'who we are', this book deserves to be read widely and deeply in cultural studies and sociology.

Chris Shilling, University of Kent

Blumenthal's study renders palapable the embodied experience of space and boundary regulating the close encounters that are part of our everyday lives. Drawing closely on the thinking of Norbert Elias, and on the basis of sound ethnographic research, her neo-phenomenological approach revitalises and extends his thought bringing it into productive conjunction with the new feminist materialisms and the wider theorisation of identity formation.This is a stunning debut and will be of interest in the fields of cultural sociology and cultural studies."

Dave Boothroyd, Professor of Media, Culture and Communication, Lincoln School of Film and Media, University of Lincoln, author of Ethical Subjects in Contemporary Culture

Little Vast Rooms of Undoing represents a rich, interdisciplinary and highly inventive exploration of self-identity and the body as experienced in public toilet spaces. Drawing on original empirical research, the book vividly brings to light the ways in which gendered identity and embodiment is managed, negotiated and resisted through the on-going mundane processes of daily life. Little Vast Rooms is a wonderful read, which restores the adage of the ‘personal is political’ through its theoretically rich, stylish and exciting prose.

Sally Hines, Professor of Sociology and Gender Identities, University of Leeds