The Creation of Selves as a Social Practice and Cognitive Process: A Study of the Construction of Selves in Medieval Graffiti

Abstract

My aim with this article is to propose a model for studying the self in graffiti inscriptions, in particular runic graffiti inscriptions from medieval Scandinavia. I combine insights from cognitive and practice theory, and the combination can aid in systematizing the relation between carver, inscription, and context. A premise for the article is that graffiti expressions, and particularly expressions of self, are constructed individually and in relation to others: they are both personal and social. As a basis for the discussions, I draw on examples of graffiti from the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim and Maeshowe, Orkney. The two contexts, a cathedral and a grave mound, are widely different, and I demonstrate how the carvers interact cognitively with their material and social surroundings to create inscriptions and expressions of self, fit for each context.