Extraction and Tattooing Figures of the Other in Extreme Trauma
The author refers to the case of a young African refugee claimant to show how a tattoo, whose valence has been altered by ideological preconceptions, can change from signifier of filiation to one of repudiation. No longer attesting to a noble origin, it discredits its bearer. The article first examines some of the social constructs that make tattooing a writing of desire, and then how such a branding can have disastrous consequences for a subject prone to wandering. Finally, the text reveals some observations made during analysis in order to show how one’s humanity is gradually reclaimed.