The aim of this research is to investigate the experience and meaning of tattoos that have a healing effect on their wearers.
We acknowledge that healing is a process that is not linear. It may go on for a long time. We are interested in questions like what is the meaning behind the tattoo? Do tattoos help heal difficult experiences and if yes, how? Do healing tattoos contribute to personal growth?
To do this we will:
- interview and collect images and stories from people who have healing tattoos;
- develop an interactive, open online repository of digital resources related to healing tattoos;
- conduct scholarly analysis of the repository using the symbolic interactionist framework; and disseminate findings through conference papers, journal articles, and interactive exhibits.
STORIES FROM THE SKIN 