Four anthropologists argue the relevance of bodily experiences and conditions for the understanding of social processes in Egypt today‎.‎ Based on current ethnography that describes beliefs and practices concerning spiritual health‎,‎ physical beauty‎,‎ infertility‎,‎ and physical health‎,‎ the authors engage with the creation of identity in both urban and rural Egyptian settings‎.‎ Each study attempts to transcend the limitations of health and ill‎-health as simple physical experiences and to make explicit the social and political significance of such conditions and processes‎.‎ Throughout the studies‎,‎ Egyptian citizens express their locations‎,‎ cultures‎,‎ identity‎,‎ and beliefs through their enactment of physical conditions and through their many quests for therapies‎.‎ The consideration of available medical resources and the strategic investments undertaken to utilize them provide ample commentary on the social situation of individuals and the changing dynamics of Egyptian society‎.‎ The focus of this volume is on health and beauty‎,‎ but its contribution lies firmly within the tr‎.‎‎.‎‎.‎