The readings for this week targeted the somewhat subtle yet significant links between tattoos, subcultures, and sociology. Atkinson’s chapter, “Tattoo Enthusiasts: Subculture or Figuration?,” in The Subcultures Reader brought attention to the question of whether or not a ‘tattooing subculture’ existed. This was an intriguing question because as I have gained more understanding of the sociological role of tattoos in relation to cultures or communities, people see it evolve into part of a previously existing culture due to its increased presence in that period of time. Alix Lambert’s “The Mark of Cain” and Jacob Resneck’s “Russian Criminal Tattoos” both study the role of the tattoo, both the process and the product, in criminal subculture.