Bodyans

Bodyans is a term used in speculative fiction and fringe anthropology to describe entities, practices, or ideologies that center on the body, its transformation, or its jurisdiction over identity. In most uses, Bodyans denotes either sentient beings that inhabit or modify bodies, or a cultural program devoted to the study and manipulation of corporeal form. The term is not part of established scientific or mainstream ethnographic nomenclature.

Etymology is varied; authors commonly coin the term by combining "body" with the suffix -an or -ians, signaling a group or doctrine related to bodies. Because it appears across different works, there is no single canonical definition.

In literature, Bodyans are often portrayed as shapeshifters, body-mod technicians, or a collective consciousness that experiences through bodies. Some stories describe Bodyans as competing groups that seek to preserve or seize control over biological autonomy, while others treat them as philosophical schools arguing that personal identity is inseparable from the body.

Outside fiction, the term has occasional usage in meta-discussions of embodiment and posthumanism, but it remains largely niche and informal. Scholars who discuss embodiment may reference similar concepts without specifically adopting the label "Bodyans."

See also: embodiment, posthumanism, body modification, shapeshifting in fiction.