For example, scarification has been widely used by many West African tribes to mark milestone stages in both men and women's lives, such as puberty and marriage. There are also aesthetic, religious, and social reasons for scarification. ![]() There are currently four competing hypotheses behind the behavior ecology of scarification: (1) a rite of passage, (2) a hardening/trauma procedure, (3) a nonadaptive sexually selected character, or (4) an adaptive pathogen-driven sexually selected character. Inscribed skin highlights an issue that has been central to anthropology since its inception: the question of boundaries between the individual and society, between societies, and between representation and experiences. Turner (1980) first used the term "social skin" in his detailed discussion of how Kayapo culture was constructed and expressed through individual bodies. In 1963, Levi-Strauss described the body as a surface waiting for the imprintation of culture. In 1909, Van Gennep described bodily transformations, including tattooing, scarification, and painting, as rites of passage. ![]() Within anthropology, the study of the body as a boundary has been long debated. Maroon woman in Surinam with ritual scarification (1952)
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