Inscribing the Body

Abstract

Inscriptions on the body, especially tattoo, scarification, and body paint, have been part of ethnographic literature since before the birth of anthropology as a discipline. Anthropology's origins as the study of the exotic Other can be seen in the early descriptions of the body art of non-Westem peoples. Anthropologists have generally focused on how the inscribed body serves as a marker of identity in terms of gender, age, and political status. More recently, scholars interested in this subject have looked also at issues of modemity, authenticity, and representation. The recent focus on the inscribed body responds to postmodem theory, the importance of body art in contemporary Westem culture, reflections on the meaning of representations of the exotic, and an interest in the visible surface of the body as the interface between the individual and society. This article reviews recent literature in anthropology and related disciplines pertaining to the cultural construction of the inscribed body. OVERVIEW: WRITING ON THE SKIN As possibly the first, and certainly the most obvious, canvas upon which human differences can be written and read, skin has been a topic of continuous interest in anthropology and related disciplines from the earliest descriptions of exotic people to postmodem theorizing about the body in contemporary society. Skin, as a visible way of defining individual identity and cultural difference, is not only a highly elaborated preoccupation in many cultures; it is also the subject of wideranging and evolving scholarly discourse in the humanities eind social sciences. Although my focus is mainly on the anthropological literature, it is impossible to ignore work in other fields. Today, archaeologists and historians are rewriting the history of the body using evidence from newly discovered ancient bodies, artworks, and texts. Discussions of contemporary "body work" (Benson 2000, p. 236) merge the perspectives of anthropology, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, philosophy, and gender studies, each discipline mapping onto the body its shifting theoretical preoccupations. Much recent theorizing on the body is devoted to the idea of inscription. Derrida's focus on writing (1976, 1978), and Foucault's on the body as a text upon which social reality is inscribed (Csordas 1994, p.

Recognizing Culturally Related Findings on Refugee Physical Examinations

“…Practitioners might rub ash or vegetable matter into the wounds to render the eventual scars more pronounced. 3,4 Traditional healers also scarify for the purpose of countering pain, reducing swelling, or slowing a racing heart. They may knead herbal medicines into the nicks to enhance an intended therapeutic effect.…”

Spiritual and religious aspects of skin and skin disorders

“…Facial masks based on visions have been worn for spiritual as well as religious purposes. 41 Wigs and hair weaves also change the appearance. Some orthodox Jewish women wear a sheitel as a form of modesty as a spiritual or religious practice.…”

“…This can have both religious and personal spiritual symbolism. 41 Skin tattooing can be performed by piercing the skin with a needle covered with pigment. Charcoal has served as a black tattoo pigment for centuries.…”

The socio-cultural-symbolic nexus in the perpetuation of female genital cutting: a critical review of existing discourses

“…Amongst the Maasai for instance, genital cutting serves as a permanent sign of the initiate's change of status and the ability to endure pain, as suggested in the general analysis by Schlegel and Barry (1979) and La Fontaine, (1985). Thus, initiates experience -through their skin -pain, death and rebirth, after which their relationship with other initiates, age-set members and the community at large is re-defined (Esho et al, 2010;Schildkrout 2004). The symbolic entry into adulthood for a community such as the Maasai provides a sense of triumph to the initiate through a physical and psychological test (Robertson, 1996).…”

“…The body plays an active role in the formation of identity and gender (Christoffersen-Deb, 2005). In the ritual of FC the body becomes a site for the inscription upon which the relationship between the individual and society is constructed (Schildkrout, 2004). The creation of social meaning takes place continuously by responding to challenges experienced in life.…”