The Body, the Spirit, and the Other: Yantras as Embodied Cultural Integration

Maja Tabea Jerrentrup ()
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Maja Tabea Jerrentrup: Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Landshut, 84036 Landshut, Germany

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: This article looks at the Sak Yant tattoo style, which is becoming increasingly popular among so-called “Westerners”. It explores the questions of whether Sak Yant tattoos among “Westerners” will typically fall under copyright issues and cultural appropriation, and what makes Sak Yants relevant to clients. Underlying this research, with a marketing analysis of Sak Yants on Instagram, is the assumption that marketing is also guided by (anticipated) customer desires and can thus tell us something about their perspective. Two interrelated aspects become apparent: Sak Yants integrate aesthetics and spirituality as well as the body and mind, entities that are often considered separately in the “West”, which may be appealing to the “Western” customer and which sets Sak Yants apart from other tattoo styles. The meanings that Sak Yants have usually go deeper than just to the surface, as is not only illustrated by the process and permanence of tattooing but also by the importance of the ritual. People from the respective cultural contexts usually benefit and take part in the process. Therefore, instead of cultural appropriation or appreciation, one could perhaps speak of cultural participation or integration.

Keywords: cultural appropriation; cultural appreciation; embodiment; tattoo; Sak Yant (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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