What Cultures Exist in the Tattooing Collectivity? Ambiguity, Membership and Participation¹

1. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Conference, Halifax, NS, Canada, 14–17 June 2003.

Abstract

This study explores the presence of cultures in the apprenticed and self‐taught collectivities of tattooists. Adopting a fragmentationist perspective of culture we accept and explore ambiguities within and across these collectivities. Distinguishing between membership and participation enhances our understanding of culture in at least three ways. Firstly, individual tattooists can be members of single (for example, self‐taught or apprenticed) or multiple (for example, self‐taught and apprenticed), overlapping collectivities. Secondly, individuals can be members of a collectivity, but not participants in the cultures. For example, not all individuals in the apprenticed collectivity participate in the cultures emerging from this collectivity. Finally, individuals can enact cultural identities from multiple, overlapping cultures. Apprenticed tattooists participate in cultures evident in both their own collectivity espousing values of professionalism and tradition, as well as in other collectivities privileging artistry and creativity. By distinguishing between membership and participation we advocate a cultural perspective that envisions cultural boundaries as fluid and blurred.

Key words:

• Apprenticeship
• Ambiguity
• Culture
• Collectivities
• Fragmentationist
• Tattooing

Notes

1. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Conference, Halifax, NS, Canada, 14–17 June 2003.