Cosmetic Surgery and the "Ordinary Me." chap.2: Cultural Modification of the Human Body (original) (raw)

Dental aesthetics as an expression of culture and ritual.

2010

ABSTRACT: Intentional mutilation or modifications to human teeth hold anthropological and social significance. Studying them helps to understand past and present human behaviour from a geographic, cultural, religious and aesthetic perspective. Presented herein is the case of the skull of a male aged 20-25 years from Madurai (Tamil Nadu, India) with aesthetic dental mutilation on the two upper central incisors, originating from the Skull Collection of the Museum of Forensic Anthropology, Paleopathology and Criminal Studies of the School of Legal Medicine of Madrid. The mutilation consists of both an alteration of the contour of the crown and the inclusion of decorative elements on the labial surface of both teeth. Performed in this study is a radiographic analysis of the dental modifications as well as a paleopathological study of the mutilated teeth.

Biocultural Perspectives on Jomon Dental Ablation

A World View of Bioculturally Modified Teeth, 2017

Ritual dental ablation involves the culturally prescribed extraction of healthy teeth. In Japan, this form of dental extraction was extensively practiced by groups from the Middle Jomon to Late-Final Jomon Periods. Dental extraction comes in many forms, affects multiple tooth combinations, and varies by sex and age. Traditionally, Jomon ablation patterns have only been assessed skeletally. Using an artist’s rendition of ancient Jomon individuals, this chapter “fleshes out” skulls to show how specific patterns of ablation might have appeared in the living. Considering the human face, or visage, is one of the most interactive parts of the body, dental ablation is an immediate and permanent identity marker. Jomon ablation patterns served multiple purposes within their social complexity, highlighting homogeneity while marking internal differentiation of positions within the hunter-gatherer society. For the Ancient Jomon, dental ablation is a constant, visual, biocultural indicator of id...

Body Modification in East Asia: History and Debates

Asian Studies Review, 2020

This article outlines the long-term historical development of body modification in East (Northeast and Southeast) Asia, from the intentionally transformative practices of prehistory, such as tattooing and tooth blackening, to the "naturalistic" practices of the 20 th century, such as cosmetic surgery, which aim to leave no visible evidence of change. Attention is also paid to the recent postmodern revival of transformative body fashions. Asian developments are discussed in global context, and comparative international statistics are provided on cosmetic surgery prevalence. The remainder of the article addresses important questions of interpretation. To what extent does Asia's current cosmetic surgery boom reflect universal processes and experiences of modernity, and to what extent culturally specific desires and developments? To what extent are current Asian beauty ideals and practices, notably the almost universal desire for fair skin, variations on indigenous traditions, legacies of colonialism, products of Western cultural hegemony, or consequences of a broader, cosmopolitan globalisation? A final section asks whether the recent expansionary trend in cosmetic body modification is likely to continue undiminished, or encounter effective forces of opposition in Asian societies.

A Global Classification System for Cultural Dental Modification: Created and Assessed

2014

Culturally modified teeth are one of the few personal identity markers to survive into the archaeological record, have modern comparatives, and exist as a global deep-time behaviour. Typology and description, however, have suffered from a multitude of, often misinterpreted, classification systems usually restricted to specialized geographical areas and local publication. With the high variation of designs, a lack of consistent codified definitions makes cohesive discussion frustratingly difficult:

Phallic Decoration in Paleolithic Art: Genital Scarification, Piercing and Tattoos

2011

Purpose: The primitive anthropological meaning of genital ornamentation is not clearly defined and the origin of penile intervention for decorative purposes is lost in time. Corporeal decoration was practiced in the Upper Paleolithic period. We discuss the existing evidence on the practice of phallic piercing, scarring and tattooing in prehistory. Materials and Methods: We studied the archaeological and artistic evidence regarding explicit genital male representations in portable art made in Europe approximately 38,000 to 11,000 years ago with special emphasis on decorations suggesting genital ornamentation. Results: Archaeological evidence that has survived to our day includes 42 phallic pieces, of which 30 (71.4%) show intentional marks to a different extent with a probable decorative purpose. Of these ornamental elements 18 (60%) were recovered from the upper Magdalenian period (11,000 to 12,700 years ago) in France and Spain, and 23 (76.7%) belong to the category of perforated batons. Decorations show lines (70% of objects), plaques (26.7%), dots/holes (23.3%) or even human/animal forms (13.3%). These designs most probably represent skin scarification, cutting, piercing and tattooing. Notably there are some technical similarities between the motifs represented and some designs present in symbolic cave wall art. This evidence may show the anthropological origin of current male genital piercing and tattooing. Conclusions: European Paleolithic art shows decoration explicitly represented in a high proportion of portable art objects with a phallic form that have survived to our day. Decorative rituals of male genital tattooing, piercing and scarification may have been practiced during Paleolithic times.

Tattooing tools and the Lapita cultural complex

Archaeology in Oceania

A use-wear and residue study of 56 retouched obsidian flakes from seven Lapita sites in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu confirms that they had been used for tattooing. These specialised tools all bear one or more very small points formed by alternating retouch. A detailed comparison of use traces and pigments on these and 19 additional skin piercing tools analysed previously challenges the notion of homogeneity in cultural practices across the broad geographical range where Lapita pottery was used. The existence of shared innovations together with variation in the selection of pigments and the shape of the obsidian artefacts used for puncturing skin highlight a complex pattern of similarities and differences within this community of culture.