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5. Somatic modifications: Problems of terminology and attribution

Somatic modifications: Problems of terminology and attribution

Grinko I.

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Mokhovaya st., 11, Moscow, 125009, Russia

Grinko I., e-mail: wagr-j@inbox.ru

Abstract

IIn this article an attempt is made to analyze the history of the terms that define artificial changes of human body in foreign and Russian anthropological literature, and also to understand the view points on this subject, its meaning and limitations. Basing on this material the author proposes a new definition for the term “somatic modifications”. Under somatic modifications the author means intentional damages of integrity, or changing of the form of human organs carried out within the bounds of ritual practices or esthetic norms according to social and cultural systems. Also in this paper some phenomena morphologically similar to somatic modifications are considered, and the problem of their interrelations is being analyzed. The main idea is to define approximate border lines of the phenomenon and to make its scientific attribution easier. For comparative analysis such widespread manipulations with human body as cosmetic surgery, mutilations in juridical practices, body-modification in modern art and consequences of psychological disorders like Body Integrity Identity Disorder were taken.

Keywords

artificial changes of human body, somatic modification, ethnographic definitions and terms

Цит.: Grinko I. Somatic modifications: Problems of terminology and attribution // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2009; 3/2009; с. 81-87