Terry Baxter and Libby Coyner-Tsosie, "Stories on Skin: A Librarian's Guide to Tattoos as Personal Archives" (Bloomsbury, 2025)
Apr 30, 2025
53:47
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Quick takeaways
Tattoos function as personal and communal archives, documenting individual histories and challenging traditional narratives in archival practices.
Cultural tattooing practices reflect intricate social narratives, highlighting their role in preserving identities and fostering community connections across generations.
Deep dives
The Significance of Tattoos as Personal Archives
Tattoos hold deep personal meanings that extend beyond mere decoration, functioning as archives of individual and communal histories. They encapsulate personal narratives, relationships, and significant life events, enabling wearers to document their journeys in a permanent form. The concept of viewing tattoos as personal archives allows for a broader understanding of how stories and experiences can be recorded and shared. This perspective encourages a re-evaluation of traditional archives, showcasing that personal expression is as valid a form of documentation as official records.
Exploring the Intersection of Community and Belonging
Tattooed individuals often use their ink to communicate belonging to specific communities or subcultures, creating a sense of identity and connection. This phenomenon transcends personal expression, as tattoos can serve as symbols that facilitate inclusiveness within larger groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community or artistic circles. The creation of inclusive professional spaces where individuals can display their tattoos without stigma demonstrates the evolving perception of identity in social contexts. By recognizing tattoos as a unifying element, communities can foster greater understanding and acceptance among their members.
Tattoos and Gender Identity
The increasing prevalence of tattoos among women plays a crucial role in challenging traditional gender norms and stereotypes associated with body art. Historically, tattooing was predominantly associated with masculinity, creating a barrier for women; however, the growing acceptance of female tattooed individuals is reshaping these perceptions. Tattoos provide women, including those within queer communities, a means of asserting their identity and reclaiming their bodies, contributing to more expansive discussions on gender presentation. This shift emphasizes the importance of tattoos as a form of self-expression that transcends binary notions of gender.
Cultural Tattoos as Historical Memory
Cultural tattooing practices, such as those of the Maori or historical practices in the Soviet Gulag, provide critical insights into how communities preserve and transmit their histories through body art. Maori tattoos serve as a vital form of storytelling, conveying lineage and social status, while tattoos in the Gulag represented survival and identity. These practices illustrate how tattoos can encapsulate intricate social narratives, reflecting the values and experiences of entire communities over time. As tattoos evolve, they continue to inform contemporary discussions on historical memory and cultural identity in modern society.
Tattoos are not merely decorative; they contain deep meaning for individuals and communities. They document their wearers' personal histories and position in families or society, and they engage with a communal understanding of symbols. Stories on Skin: A Librarian's Guide to Tattoos as Personal Archives (Bloomsbury, 2025) by Terry Baxter & Libby Coyner-Tsosie makes the case that archivists who want to preserve as full a human story as possible must recognize the rich documentation provided by tattoos. It also argues, in a broader sense, that traditional archives are not representative of the ways human beings transmit information through time and that they must be augmented by other types of storytelling to provide a more complete record of our species. Baxter and Coyner-Tsosie touch on timely topics such as historical narratives, storytelling, cultural traditions, the body as a text, social control, and memorialization by considering tattoos as a personal and community archive. Discussing tattoos as a storytelling tool, the authors also challenge how history is kept and who gets included. Stories on Skin is committed to the rights of communities to tell their stories in their own way and to the power that right brings.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.
