How is it that tattoos can be thought of as both a mark of social deviance and fashionable piece ... more How is it that tattoos can be thought of as both a mark of social deviance and fashionable piece of artwork at the same time? This thesis examines shifting cultural attitudes toward the practice of tattooing in the United States, Japan, and Tahiti. The crosscultural and historical perspectives engaged in this study consider the ways in which these cultures have viewed the practice independently as well as how they have influenced each other, resulting in modern and often conflicting conceptions of tattoos. Tattooing as a deviant or celebratory act is examined in terms of the anthropological “other” and through the lens of Merton’s strain
theory. From this perspective, the assessment of tattooing is dependent on the individual’s adaptation to culture goals, specifically the goal of meeting the cultural definition of attractiveness. Tattoos are distinguishing marks, and while in traditional Western and Japanese culture they can be understood in terms of the accepta ce or rejection of values, modern conceptions are most similar to traditional Tahitian tattoos because they reflect the terms of
physical and social interactions among members of a society.
How is it that tattoos can be thought of as both a mark of social deviance and fashionable piece ... more How is it that tattoos can be thought of as both a mark of social deviance and fashionable piece of artwork at the same time? This thesis examines shifting cultural attitudes toward the practice of tattooing in the United States, Japan, and Tahiti. The crosscultural and historical perspectives engaged in this study consider the ways in which these cultures have viewed the practice independently as well as how they have influenced each other, resulting in modern and often conflicting conceptions of tattoos. Tattooing as a deviant or celebratory act is examined in terms of the anthropological “other” and through the lens of Merton’s strain
theory. From this perspective, the assessment of tattooing is dependent on the individual’s adaptation to culture goals, specifically the goal of meeting the cultural definition of attractiveness. Tattoos are distinguishing marks, and while in traditional Western and Japanese culture they can be understood in terms of the accepta ce or rejection of values, modern conceptions are most similar to traditional Tahitian tattoos because they reflect the terms of
physical and social interactions among members of a society.
Uploads
Papers by Elizabeth Rapp
theory. From this perspective, the assessment of tattooing is dependent on the individual’s adaptation to culture goals, specifically the goal of meeting the cultural definition of attractiveness. Tattoos are distinguishing marks, and while in traditional Western and Japanese culture they can be understood in terms of the accepta ce or rejection of values, modern conceptions are most similar to traditional Tahitian tattoos because they reflect the terms of
physical and social interactions among members of a society.
theory. From this perspective, the assessment of tattooing is dependent on the individual’s adaptation to culture goals, specifically the goal of meeting the cultural definition of attractiveness. Tattoos are distinguishing marks, and while in traditional Western and Japanese culture they can be understood in terms of the accepta ce or rejection of values, modern conceptions are most similar to traditional Tahitian tattoos because they reflect the terms of
physical and social interactions among members of a society.