Abstract
For centuries, a number of Catholic Croat women from the territory of modern day Bosnia and Herzegovina have participated in a traditional form of tattooing. Rooted in the socio-political context marked by the rule of the Ottoman Empire (16th–19th century), it was believed that the symbols would offer protection against kidnapping by the Turks. While the practice carried on, outliving the context of its creation, it entered into a slow decline; today not more than a handful of people still bear these markings. Using interviews collected by Ilinčić (2016) as secondary data, I apply Foucauldian discourse analysis to follow the construction of meaning associated to tattoos along the interpersonal-intergroup continuum. Drawing upon structuralism and feminist theories about the body and social identity theory, I focus on how tattooing is used as a communicative signifier of social and or self-identity.
 
 Article received: December 10, 2018; Article accepted: January 23, 2019; Published online: April 15, 2019; Original scholarly paper
 How to cite this article: Barabas, Timea. "In(k)scribed Identities: A Sociological Analysis of Catholic Croat Tattoos." AM Journal of Art and Media Studies 18 (2019): 33–50. doi: 10.25038/am.v0i18.297
Highlights
Shilling introduced the concept of “body projects”, referring to the intentional action of changing any of the physical characteristics of a person, and highlighted the important role it plays in representing identity.[1]
For centuries, a number of Catholic Croat women from the territory of modern day Bosnia and Herzegovina have participated in a traditional form of tattooing
Drawing upon structuralism and feminist theories about the body and social identity theory, I focus on how tattooing is used as a communicative signifier of social and or self-identity
Summary
Shilling introduced the concept of “body projects”, referring to the intentional action of changing any of the physical characteristics of a person, and highlighted the important role it plays in representing identity.[1]. Building on Foucault, the focus of feminist perspective falls on the relation between body modification practices and institutions of power Referencing his “docile body”[35] defined as being subjected and trained by a figure of power or authority in accordance with its own agenda, “women’s bodies become socially constructed, monitored, and regulated in accordance with a dominant image.”[36] the body is conceptualized as being inscribed with symbols of significance by culture, and counter-inscribed by individuals. Even Truhelka argues that the reason for the gendered nature of Catholic Croat tattoos is that women are weaker and more superstitious.[41] In response to this gender bias, comes a feminist current, where the focus falls on the liberation effect of body modification practice.[42]. Following on a Foucauldian line, identity or human action, for that matter, are not considered as being definable in fixed terms, but rather as fluid inscriptions of identity.[51]
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