Modern primitive

Modern primitives or urban primitives are adherents of an alternative subculture in developed, Western countries who engage in body modification rituals and practices inspired by the ceremonies, rites of passage, or bodily ornamentation in what they consider "traditional", non-Western cultures.^[1] These practices may include body piercing, tattooing, play piercing, flesh hook suspension, corset training, scarification, branding, penile subincision, and cutting.

Roland Loomis, also known by his chosen name Fakir Musafar, was one of the founders of the modern primitive movement.^[2] The 1989 RE/Search book Modern Primitives is considered as one of the first studies on of the concept of modern primitivism.

Modern primitives identify with a connection between what they see as "the primitive" and authenticity; "in opposition to the corruptions of mainstream society".^[3]

Modern primitives may have a loose set of beliefs about their way of life, including

• Modification of the body in order to sculpt their self-image.
• Activities which reject society at large. Exploring the self is a personal statement, which society rejects.
• Resisting what they see as colonialism, and identification with anti-colonial struggles.^[4]

Urban primitivism has been suggested as cultural appropriation and misrepresenting or "bundling" cultures together in a "primitive" setting.^[5][4] These have been debated, with adherents believing that these criticisms are based largely on the views of Roland Loomis rather than the culture as a whole.^[6]

• Noble savage
• Paleolithic diet

• Vale, V.; Andrea Juno (1989). Modern Primitives. RE/Search. ISBN 978-0-940642-14-0.
• Pitts, Victoria L. (2003). In the Flesh: The Cultural Politics of Body Modification. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-7943-8.

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