Body Art/Body Modification Across Cultures

3 units

All cultures practice one form or another of body modification. It can be in the form of face or body painting, piercing, tattooing, scarring, or re-shaping. Body modification is usually done to indicate social position, family, marital status, identity with a particular ethnic, age, or gender group, perform a rite of passage such as puberty, ward off or invoke the spirits, or send a message. This course explores body art and body modification in several world cultures -- including our own.