Professionalizing Body Art

Question 1

intro

Answer 1

An occupation, therefore, becomes a profession when it establishes exclusive jurisdiction over a particular area through the use of abstract knowledge

Question 2

Maroto explores

Answer 2

how body art practitioners use both formal and informal strategies to exert control over the people and the activities they perform and to maintain autonomy as a group.

Question 3

Exclusive jurisdiction

Answer 3

dominance or monopoly
traditional definition

Notion of abstract knowledge as key to understanding these occupations

Try to understand the strategies this particular occupation is using

Maintain autonomy as a group

Question 4

Why does it want to gain control over its members and the work process?

Answer 4

Add more status

Standardized the standards of performance

Make sure people are doing a good job, “bad eggs” in their group that will bring down their reputation as a whole

Question 5

Professionalism and Control within Occupational Groups

Answer 5

Control over standards and product of their activities

Control over members involved in those activities

Control can be informal or formal

Question 6

members

Answer 6

Who gets into their occupation

How do you get the training or credentials

How do you evaluate those members and meeting the standards of the occupation

Question 7

Control over the standards

Answer 7

Formal strategies – professional schools, licensing, statutory regulations

Traditional ways of maintaining control over members – informal strategies

Showing how these traditional informal strategies are still being used but this occupation is adopting formal strategies

Something happening that is provoking this occupation
Should there be state regulation? – that is what she’s interested in looking at

Question 8

Professionalism and Control within Occupational Groups

Answer 8

Maroto focuses on three dominant formal control strategies in pursuing professionalization:

1. Standardization of training
2. Formation of professional organizations
3. Incorporation of statutory regulations

Body artists also continue to use informal strategies as well

Formal strategies that have not been used previously and how members feel about these strategies

Question 9

Body Art in the US

Answer 9

Historically, body art considered deviant behavior associated with sailors, bikers, carnival performers, convicts and criminals

Question 10

Tattoos now

Answer 10

Tattoos have gained acceptance and popularity

• increase demand for tattoos
• an art form

The size of the body art industry has increased
-Increase of competition amongst tattoo artists

With the rise in popularity, body artists have changed definitions of their work and community
-Key factors – leading to the shifts, controlling the members and work process – greater demand of tattoos

• Worries about people entering this occupation that aren’t maintaining the same standards
• Informal strategies are starting to break down

Question 11

Data and method

Answer 11

46 surveys and 24 interviews of members of body art world in 2006 in King County (Seattle)WA

Analyzed legislation regarding tattooing and piercing
Offers a “social-worlds” perspective that depicts individual in broader social context

State regulated issue
In-depth contextual approach of the shifts that are going on
How individual members of the occupation were viewing these changes but also placing it in the broader social context – in terms of what was going on in the market and the demand

Question 12

Findings: Professionalizing Control within Body Art

Answer 12

Formal professionalization strategies are integrated with informal ones to maintain control of occupational membership and standards

They don’t give up previous forms of regulation but rather incorporate new ones

The strategies they use depend on their work environment and self identity

Question 13

She found

Answer 13

When we think about occupations and strategies they might use, it might depend on the work environments and the self identity of that occupation

Not giving up informal strategies because of the work
places they are working in

Working in small shops – working like contractors

Keeping a hold of these informal strategies

Maintain or hang

Identifying themselves more as artists

Emphasis on being an artist

Setting out rules and
regulations that’s based on art

Question 14

Findings: Professionalizing Control within Body Art

Answer 14

Body artists have a strong artist identity

Informal strategies of control through internal solidarity, apprenticeship and shop owner standards

Challenges and change as body art expands becoming more profitable and more competitive

Question 15

Internal solidarity

Answer 15

Strong because of their deviant status

They weren’t seen as a legitimate job

Closing off the community from outsiders

Because of the deviant status they held, they didn’t have other people saying they wanted to be a tattoo artists

Didn’t have to do much for boundary maintenance

Enhanced their solidarity as members of the same group
Relationship with one another with fellow tattoo artists

Senior members are sharing their tips and secrets in training the younger members

Everyone knew everyone else in these shops

Individuals would say I trained under so and so

A lot of informal regulations of members and the quality of work amongst members

Question 16

Competition

Answer 16

More people wanting tattoos and becoming tattoo artists

Challenges they faced increased business, competition, and popularity

What they were experiencing, as a result of these shifts – their networks started to break down

The informal strategies started to break down

People didn’t know everyone in this occupation or where they were being trained

Question 17

Findings: Professionalizing Control within Body Art

Answer 17

Incorporation of formal strategies of control:

• Standardization of training and credentialism
• Professional organizations
• Statutory regulation

Question 18

Standardization of training

Answer 18

one that we associate with specific occupations

View themselves as artists – they don’t see the art part as something that needs to be trained or credential

Gain skills through apprenticeship through the shops = informal strategy of maintaining control over the work process

Concerns about the health aspects

We think that tattoo artists should be trained and certified in the aspects of tattooing

Formal strategy – the exert some control over the members

Depends on which part you are talking about

Question 19

Professional organization

Answer 19

Professional associations - The ones who license people to be part of the association

Had one but not effective – not very useful

Body piercers lacked having this – had on on paper but members were supposed to be on it

Lack of leadership

The existing organization they had in place set high standards

The problem was they did not have any resources or any way of enforcing them

No negative consequences if members did not meet the requirements

As a result membership in the occupational organization that did exist was very low because it seemed to be a meaningless occupation

The only support offered to these members was the health regulations

Having a particular license that allowed you to practice that met health standards

Question 20

Statutory regulation

Answer 20

State being involved of regulating the work process or membership

Professional occupation often do not want to relinquish control to outsiders
Ex: Lawyers want to monitor lawyers performance

Question 21

Discussion: A Definition for Body Art

Answer 21

The title of “profession” brings occupational groups a certain level of control and legitimacy.
-Offers greater status

Body art practitioners base their identity in the art world rather that within a professional world.

Artwork is a type of specialized knowledge that body art practitioners seek to maintain exclusive jurisdiction over.

Argues that this is why they partly cannot achieve full professional status
Very protective of this particular artform

Question 22

Conclusions

Answer 22

Body art practitioners do not fit into any particular occupational category; they are artisans, artists, service workers, and professionals.

They use both informal strategies and formal strategies to maintain control of other practitioners and the work that they do.

Members stand to benefit from the incorporation of professionalization strategies even though they do not fit a general definition of a profession.

The findings suggest we need to revise our conceptions of professions.

Question 23

When we look at occupations in general

Answer 23

she suggests that we should look at: even if occupations don’t achieve professional status, they still can benefit by using some professionalization strategies

Help them obtain greater control – raise their status

Certification of certain aspects

Require certain training

don’t meet all of their requirements

Question 24

Need to revise our conceptions of professions and what it means to be professionals

Answer 24

There are so many occupations that do not fit into that professional category

Need to have a more critical approach