TATTOO. THE CONFLICT TRIANGLE OF BODY, SOCIETY AND SIGN

Abstract

The article presents a semiotic analysis of the tattooing practices in term of socio-symbolic communications. The author compares the social, religious, informational aspects of tattoos in archaic, traditional and modern communities. The social meanings of the signs and symbols are analysed in the representation and self-identification practices. Divers levels of interactions of personality and society are studied. Questions are raised about the semantic meanings of the statement in the field of sociality and asociality, polysemantics and monosemantics.. The article is based on an impromptu survey conducted by the author, the informational occasion for which was a conflict between a French kindergarten teacher who almost completely covered his body with a tattoo, and his employer.