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The origins of the academic discipline of Anthropology were rooted in the study of the exotic “other”. The ritual institution of tattoo has been a scholarly interest since the beginning of Anthropology as a discipline. These first anthropological pursuits were structured categorically around perceived identity. Recently, scholar’s interests have turned to more complex notions of modernity, authenticity and representation. The word “tattoo” literally translates to “to mark”, though the practice is a tad more intensive then simply marking the skin. Tattooing is inserting pigment into punctures in the epidermis, commonly with a needle, (though any sharp object may be employed) to produce a permanent design. As you might imagine, pain is involved.

As possibly the first canvas upon which humans have inscribed, skin has been a subject of continuous interest in Anthropology, from the early descriptions of “exotic people” to postmodern theorizing about the body in contemporary society, a subject that theorists such as Michel Foucault and Claude Levi-Strauss have thoroughly elaborated on. I believe such research is relevant to my own inquiries, and plan on keeping the subjects of both the body and identity in the scope. In fact, it is my theory that the profusion of tattooing, especially before the institution of blogging, is the original myspace. The body, the skin, is a space that is proprietary of the person on the one hand, and the utilization of the skin as a “forum” of visual self-expression, on the other.
 

The tattoo industry takes many forms all over the world. It has an extensive diverse history rich in cultural traditions. All nations have their own stylistic background and body art history. It is my goal to utilize this space, to express these histories culturally, practically, and aesthetically. Furthermore, drawing from the traditional structural-functional discourses of ritual, I propose the practice of tattoo to be a form of rite of passage. From this analytic standpoint of tattoo, along with the historical tradition of the art, the custom can be deconstructed into its proverbial ritualistic stages. I desire to elucidate how a person goes into a tattoo shop and leaves transformed.
 

Likely areas of discussion include transcription, (trans)culturation and (trans)formation of the body. Future themes will include symbolism, mysticism and world view. Also, the existing contemporary literature on tattoo such as Victoria Pitts, Nikki Sullivan and Arnold Rubin will be analyzed and used to initiate further dialogue. As a Visual Anthropologist, I will be conducting participant observation and interviews and providing ethnographic data (written and visually documented) for those with curiosity towards the subject in and of tattooing as well as my academic field. I am hoping to include narratives of both tattoo artists and tattoo recipients to express the subjectivity of the institution, provide pictures of tattooings, as well as discuss where tattoo fits into postmodern cultural theory. The experience I have already had in the specific world of tattooing has led me to see tattoos as, and here I quote myself, “public communications of private narratives”. There is no one reason to get a tattoo, so the question of why is subjective. However, “why” provides a splendid opportunity for fascinating discourse. The stuff that anthropological dreams are made of.