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Russian Prison Tattoos: Codes of Authority, Domination, and Struggle
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For centuries, Russian prison inmates forcibly initiated newcomers with tattoos. Gradually, prisoners developed a secret form of communication with their tattoos, allowing them to establish rank among the other inmates and maintain a clandestine hierarchy. This book explores the grisly reality of Russian prisons and the people who inhabit them. Over 190 black and white and
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Paperback, 160 pages
Published
June 20th 2003
by Schiffer Publishing
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A secret language deciphered; chilling yet fascinating in complexity and scope.
For the most part a photography book Russian Prison Tattoos besides going into the meaning of the tattoos the text of this book is also a look into Russian prison life and street level criminal culture. There is a pretty strict caste system within the Russian prison system, that I have to say seems to be a lot more orderly than the rest of Russian society. Tattoos are used to show where you sit within that caste system. Some examples are spiders denote drug addiction, a Madonna or woman holding
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I wrote paper in college about the deep meanings of Russian Prison tattoos. I relied heavily on this book due to it's information and detailed look into both the meanings of tattoos, the way they are crafted and designed, as well as the life these prisoners endure in prison.
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A sobering and informative read.
Good premise but too long and repetitive. There were to many -ologies going on at once I could never figure out what she wanted to say.
Russian Prison Tattoos has many photos with some good, some bad, and plenty of blurry ones. Not much I can say about the lives of these prisoners except that they have it tough. I guess "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime" is something to be heeded to. All in all, Russian Prison Tattoos delivers.
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This is the companion book to the documentary: “Mark of Cain”. You don’t necessarily need to see the documentary to apriate the book; it stands on in own quite well. The Documentary is hard to find but well worth seeing. Nice clear color and B&W photos and good concise text make this a very good introductory book to not only the Russian Prison Tattoo subculture but the Russian prison system in general. Very interesting and arresting stuff!
An interesting tale of Russian prison tattoos, but not enough details of their origins and deeper meanings.
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