Wrapping In Images: Tattooing in Polynesia (Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology - Cultural Forms)

By Alfred Gell

Book Overview

In traditional Polynesian societies, tattooing has played a key role in the social construction of the individual. This is the first study to provide a comparative analysis of tattooing in its original setting--based on a comprehensive survey of both written and oral sources. Drawing on modern social theory, psychoanalysis, and anthropological studies, Gell demonstrates the role of tattooing in the complex array of controlling sacredness and protecting the self.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198280904
• ISBN13: 9780198280903
• Release Date: July 1996
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.9" x 6.0"