This document discusses different cultural approaches to concepts of sex and the body. It covers topics like boundaries between the inside and outside of the body, purity and strength, conformity, deviance versus normality, and how modern primitives confront Western speculation about other cultures through body modification practices that play with valued and disvalued meanings. The document analyzes these concepts through lenses such as Leviticus, nineteenth century criminology, sexuality studies, and a critique of overly simplistic conflations of cultural meanings in the modern primitive subculture.

1. Some CulturalSome Cultural
Approaches toApproaches to
Sex and the BodySex and the Body
First Arts Module, Spring 2015First Arts Module, Spring 2015
A. Jamie Saris, Ph.D.A. Jamie Saris, Ph.D.

2. Sex and the BodySex and the Body
 Leviticus draws our attention to the boundaries of theLeviticus draws our attention to the boundaries of the
body, especially their role in separating the inside from thebody, especially their role in separating the inside from the
outsideoutside
 The obsessive reading of marks on the bodyThe obsessive reading of marks on the body
 Purity and Strength (and their inversions)Purity and Strength (and their inversions)
 Ideas of ConformityIdeas of Conformity
 The power of the public display of deviant bodiesThe power of the public display of deviant bodies

3. Sex and the BodySex and the Body
 Natural and PrimitiveNatural and Primitive
 Complementary meaningsComplementary meanings
 Meanings tend to be found at the ends of series, eitherMeanings tend to be found at the ends of series, either
valued in a highly positive or highly negative fashionvalued in a highly positive or highly negative fashion
 Modern Primitives play with all of these valencesModern Primitives play with all of these valences

4. Sex and the BodySex and the Body
“…“…it seems as if the whole history ofWesternit seems as if the whole history ofWestern
speculation about other cultures has been tossedspeculation about other cultures has been tossed
into a blender with more than a little New Ageinto a blender with more than a little New Age
mysticism and some contemporary sexualmysticism and some contemporary sexual
radicalism…” Rosenblatt (1997:287-288),radicalism…” Rosenblatt (1997:287-288), TheThe
Anti-Social Skin.Anti-Social Skin.

5. Sex and the BodySex and the Body
 Deviance and NormalDeviance and Normal
 From the LatinFrom the Latin de viade via, lit. “from the way”, lit. “from the way”
 Both moral and statistical meanings in ‘Normal’Both moral and statistical meanings in ‘Normal’
 Internal states (such as certain sorts of sexual desire orInternal states (such as certain sorts of sexual desire or
criminal tendencies) were seen to leave external marks –criminal tendencies) were seen to leave external marks –
from Leviticus through to Nineteenth-Century criminologyfrom Leviticus through to Nineteenth-Century criminology

6. Sex and the BodySex and the Body
 The Nineteenth century was the high-water mark forThe Nineteenth century was the high-water mark for
speculation about Deviance and Degeneracy, alongsidespeculation about Deviance and Degeneracy, alongside
coming about (often coercive) ways for improving societycoming about (often coercive) ways for improving society
and self.and self.
 Development of sciences of what we might call “markersDevelopment of sciences of what we might call “markers
of the invisible”of the invisible”
 Criminology, Sexology, EugenicsCriminology, Sexology, Eugenics
 Modern Primitives plays with all these themesModern Primitives plays with all these themes

7. Sex and the BodySex and the Body
 Modern Primitives interviewees tend to conflate ChristianModern Primitives interviewees tend to conflate Christian
[anti-body (maybe anti-fun) ethos], Capitalism [form of[anti-body (maybe anti-fun) ethos], Capitalism [form of
exploitation esp. of environment, alienable ownership],exploitation esp. of environment, alienable ownership],
and Middle Class [stifling conformity, anti-individualism]and Middle Class [stifling conformity, anti-individualism]
 Inverses are also conflated, i.e., Pagan/Animist [pre-Inverses are also conflated, i.e., Pagan/Animist [pre-
Christian/Primal way of Being—in-the-World], PrimitiveChristian/Primal way of Being—in-the-World], Primitive
Socialism [non-exploitative, community orientation], andSocialism [non-exploitative, community orientation], and
Non-Conformist [valorization of individual expression]Non-Conformist [valorization of individual expression]

8. Sex and the BodySex and the Body
 Rosenblatt critique of the appropriateness of conflatingRosenblatt critique of the appropriateness of conflating
these meanings in an ethnographically-informedthese meanings in an ethnographically-informed
understanding of specific tattooing traditionsunderstanding of specific tattooing traditions
 Maori tattooing, for example, is lineage-centric, not aMaori tattooing, for example, is lineage-centric, not a
record of individual experiencerecord of individual experience
 Modern Primitives confront their mass-market successModern Primitives confront their mass-market success