Deeper than the Surface: Analyzing Tattoos in a Modernized World
Date
2018
Authors
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Department of English and Writing, The University of Tampa
Abstract
In the late 1990s, anthropologist William Peace entered the
American Museum of Natural History’s special exhibit, Body
Art: Marks of Identity, a display he later described as prompting
a “measured respect for body art [as well as] great skepticism”
(589). The exhibit displayed the many ways that a variety of
cultures have practiced body art and body modifications overthe past several centuries. Peace showed particular interest in
the cultural phenomenon of tattooing, and how the practice
was (and still remains) synonymous with cultural symbolism.
In other words, it served as a way to visually transcribe certain
aspects of human existence, as well as an impression of culture
shared among generations. (589, 591). By definition, the word
tattoo is indicative of “permanent marks or designs inserted on
the skin by puncturing it and inserting pigment or pigments”
(“Tattoo”); however, Peace describes the age-old art form much
differently. According to Peace, body art, particularly tattoos,
are a worldwide medium of expression, and as the name of the
exhibit suggests, tattoos inherently are marks of human identity
(589, 593). Though tattoos themselves are permanent, the role
these century-old markings play in shaping human identity is,
somewhat ironically, ever-changing. In fact, it has even changed
in just the two decades following Peace’s publication.
Description
Recommended Citation: Todd, Katy. “Deeper than the Surface: Analyzing Tattoos in a Modernized World.” Royal Road, 2018. https://doi.org/10.48497/293T-MJ35.
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Keywords
Tattoos, Tattooing, Twenty-first century, Expression (Philosophy), Anima, Identity
Citation
Todd, Katy. “Deeper than the Surface: Analyzing Tattoos in a Modernized World.” Royal Road, 2018. https://doi.org/10.48497/293T-MJ35.