Title

A Foucauldian analysis of tattooing as a contemporary form of inscribed confession

Creator

Kouli, Styliani

Abstract

This research examines tattooing as a contemporary 'technique of the self' using the lenses of Michel Foucault, his work on the hermeneutics of the self and particularly his notions of exomologesis meaning confession and exagoreusis meaning verbalization. Drawing on semi structured interviews and participant observations in tattoo studios and the Athens Tattoo convention, the study investigated how tattooed individuals use body inscription as a way to confess, verbalize and to regulate personal and social truths. Findings from the research suggest that tattooing mirrors the historicity of confessional practices, particularly in regard to pain and disclosure, while also transforming them into a therapeutic tool. The body this way emerges as both a site of liberation and of internalized social control within late modern societies.

Keywords

foucault

confession

tattooing

Subject

Sociology

Date Available

May 27, 2026

Type

Poster

Course

SO4790 Senior Year Thesis

Instructor

Gangas, Spyros

Session

Poster Session

Location

Student Lounge - Main Corridor

Meet the Artist Time

May 27: 12.00 - 15.00

Event

Year 2026 | 10th Annual Student Research and Creative Arts Symposium