Skin Scarring as a Palimpsest

Abstract

Looking on, in, and under scarred skin, problematizes understandings of memory, subjectivity, and self/other relations. Using arts-based inquiry, I investigate my scarred life stories while connecting it to feminist perspectives that expose social constructs of gendered scarred skin. As I peel back the complex surfaces, I highlight my female voice and personal experiences to explore the layered meanings in my scars. Questioning assumptions and understandings of scarred skin in relation to self and others, my goal is to stimulate new ways to view, understand, and engage with skin scars.