ABSTRACT
Tattoo Histories is an edited volume which analyses and discusses the relevance of tattooing in the socio-cultural construction of bodies, boundaries, and identities, among both individuals and groups. Its interdisciplinary approach facilitates historical as well as contemporary perspectives. Rather than presenting a universal, essentialized history of tattooing, the volume’s objective is to focus on the entangled and transcultural histories, narratives, and practices related to tattoos. Contributions stem from various fields, including Archaeology, Art History, Classics, History, Linguistics, Media and Literary Studies, Social and Cultural Anthropology, and Sociology. They advance the current endeavour on the part of tattoo scholars to challenge Eurocentric and North American biases prevalent in much of tattoo research, by including various analyses based in locations such as Malaysia, Israel, East Africa, and India. The thematic focus is on the transformative capacity of tattoos and tattooing, with regard to the social construction of bodies and subjectivity; the (re-)creation of social relationships through the definition of (non-)tattooed others; the formation and consolidation of group identities, traditions, and authenticity; and the conceptualization of art and its relevance to tattoo artist–tattooee relations.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |30 pages
Introduction
chapter 1|28 pages
Indelible Ink
part 1|52 pages
Tattoos as Individual or Communal Body Projects
chapter 2|15 pages
“I Just Want It to Look Pretty”
chapter 4|15 pages
Mi Familia
part 2|72 pages
Tattoos and Othering
chapter 6|15 pages
Marking France’s Enemies
chapter 8|19 pages
The True Life and Adventures of Tattooed Performers
part 3|102 pages
(De-)Colonization, Revitalization, and Cultural Appropriation
chapter 9|19 pages
Indigenous (Re)inscription
chapter 12|19 pages
Chinese Characters on Foreign Bodies
chapter 13|19 pages
Skinscape Souvenirs and Globalized Bodies
part 4|54 pages
Tattoo as Embodied Art