Description

This volume focuses on the process of un/masking rather than on the object of the mask, and highlights the performative aspects that render masks catalysts of transition and transformation. Through its ability to simultaneously hide and reveal, the act of un/masking has the power to destabilize supposedly fixed identities and to blur the lines between the self and the other, the visible and the invisible, life and death. In this sense, masks are ambiguous, liminal objects, marking a condition of 'in-between' that is both a point of separation and a line of contact. Masking and unmasking are thus intertwined and cannot be neatly separated.
In addressing both historical and contemporary phenomena, Un/Masking offers new perspectives on current debates surrounding issues such as protective masks and facial recognition technologies. To match the incredible variety of cultural contexts in which masks play a crucial role - from ancient theatrical practices to digital technologies, to ritual, artistic, and literary activities throughout the world - this volume takes a decidedly interdisciplinary approach to understanding the act of un/masking and what it can mean today.