การสัก: ร่างกายและเครือข่ายความสัมพันธ์ทางสังคม

Abstract

This thesis aims to study the phenomenon of tattooing, body, and social networks of two tattoo schools in Chiang Mai and Tak province by collecting participant observation, key informant interviews, and case studies. Intending to understand the changes of tattoo alteration in the changing socio-economic context, the changes after tattooing, , and the tattoo schools' social networking relations. The concept of social network, govern mentality, and body was applied in the analysis. This study had three main questions: 1. How do alterations of tattooing change in socio-economic context? 2. How do the tattoo disciples change after being tattooed? and 3. How does the social nerwork of the altoo masters and their diseiples wax? The study found that tattooing is one of the choices that people are now paying attention to. As people feel insecure about their lives, they need psychological support amid the ongoing shift in social and economic contexts. Society's perspective on tattoos has changed dramatically from tattooing to prevent danger and showing masculinity to tattooing in fashion has resulted in the new generation becoming more popular with tattoos. It is tattooing for beauty in terms of personal aesthetics or tattooing for faith, such as tattooing for affection or tattooing for the belief in safety and invincibility, resulting in many tattoo schools in every corner of the city. There is always the connection among the tattoo schools, tattoo masters, and disciples, which have a typical relationship through the tattoo. Therefore, the body as a space for tattoos after getting a tattoo, the disciples must practice themselves according to the instructions of each school or tattoo master to maintain the power of the tattoo to always be with the disciples. From these practices, the interaction between tattoo masters and disciples becomes a social network of tattoo schools. Thus, there is mutual assistance between disciples and tattoo masters in changing social and economic contexts as if they were one in the same family.