Esferas públicas e tatuagem no Brasil

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the formation of public spheres surrounding the practice of tattooing in Brazil over the past 30 years, from the perspective of the Theory of Communicative Action, describing how public opinion influences and/or has been influenced by this cultural practice. The topic was addressed by considering the perceptions of tattoo artists and users, as well as the historical, social, and normative transformations related to tattooing in the country. The research adopted a qualitative approach, combining documentary analysis of sanitary regulations, legislative bills, and judicial decisions; semi-structured interviews with tattoo artists, dermatologists, and users; and netnography in digital media, with systematic observation of posts and interactions related to the practice. The analysis was organized into three interdependent arenas: (i) the normative arena, which highlighted the technical and sanitary objectification of the activity; (ii) the communicational arena, marked by the digital circulation of discourses on biosafety, reputation, and identity; and (iii) the experiential arena, in which identity narratives, symbolic disputes, and reclassifications of the tattooed body emerge. This study is relevant for exploring a topic that has been little investigated from the perspective of public spheres and for the debate it promotes regarding tattooing as a cultural practice. By addressing this phenomenon in both its historical and discursive dimensions, this dissertation contributes to expanding the understanding of processes of cultural resignification and social legitimation in contemporary society. Finally, the findings indicate that tattooing in contemporary Brazil condenses multiple meanings that cannot be reduced either to historical stigma or to market-driven aesthetics. It operates as a social language inscribed on the body, capable of materializing memory, belonging, mourning, desire, life trajectory, and identity affirmation, while simultaneously involving technique, care, and sanitary responsibility.