Visible Marks, Invisible Boundaries: Tattooing, Scarification, and Social Stigma in Tunisia

Abstract

In contemporary Tunisia, the male tattoo asserts itself as a significant body marking, taking on a role beyond simple aesthetic adornment to become an arena for identity expression, social protest and gender rewriting. Emerging historically from spiritual, medicinal or tribal purposes, the practice has evolved to subvert its traditional significance under the push of modernity, globalization, and shifting constructions of masculinity.

This article examines masculine tattooing as a socially perceived risk factor through a qualitative investigation using semi-directive interviews, including conservative contexts where it is frequently linked to moral deviance, marginalization, or criminality. This stigmatization of the tattooed body extends beyond the individual and impacts the person's family and community, exposing deep social issues related to physical visibility and the conflict between traditional and modern identities.

The study clarifies the connections between self-affirmation, tattooing, and scarification in a post-revolutionary setting where the body becomes a negotiation ground between institutional pressures, individual agency, and social dominance. She finally examines the subjective meanings of tattoos for men while examining the social responses they elicit.