I INK, THEREFORE I AM IDENTITY AND MEMORY OF THE INDIAN COMMUNITY IN SINGAPORE THROUGH TATTOOS

Abstract

This thesis looks at the identity and memory formation of the Indian diaspora in Singapore through the lens of tattooed individuals in the community. By doing so it aims to dispel the commonly held notion that tattoos are a sign of deviance and to assert that tattoos have a social life that can be captured in 3 key stages – the pre tattoo experience, the tattoo act and finally the post-tattoo experience. By understanding the emotions that are tied to these 3 stages, it unpacks how the body emerges as a site of identity and memory making in reaffirming, reconstructing and resisting societal structures. It ultimately argues that the body and tattoos emerges as a space for the individual to create their own narratives of selfhood and personhood that are limitless and fluid.