Date of Award
January 2016
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Document Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Justice Studies
First Advisor
Judah Schept
Department Affiliation
Justice Studies
Second Advisor
Travis Linnemann
Department Affiliation
Justice Studies
Third Advisor
Gary W. Potter
Department Affiliation
Justice Studies
Abstract
Graffiti has communicative value, and it is a medium through which individuals voice their innermost thoughts, concerns, and beliefs. Restroom graffiti or "latrinalia" offers a unique space for graffiti writers to deliver their messages. The sole focus of this paper is to examine the meaning and communicative value of latrinalia as found in the men's restrooms of a medium-sized university. For this study, restrooms in 17 buildings were visited and a total of 965 instances of graffiti were recorded and codified into 14 different categories. The four most common categories of latrinalia were signature, sexual, artistic, and discriminatory. Latrinalia was found written in a number of locations including doors, stall walls, fire alarms, and toilet paper dispensers with the most significant portion placed inside restroom stalls. Latrinalia was created via a variety of tools from writing instruments to sharp objects. A majority of the latrinalia was etched onto surfaces. Relying on symbolic interactionism as a theoretical framework, this study illustrates how latrinalia has meaning and how people use latrinalia as a communicative medium.
Copyright
Copyright 2016 Thomas Lively
Recommended Citation
Lively, Thomas, "On the Shithouse Wall: The Communicative Value of Latrinalia" (2016). Online Theses and Dissertations. 392.
https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/392