the politics of masking

The PoliticsOf

Masking

“The mask carrier is said to assume power, the aim of a Mask is to channel, elicit, or transmit

power...”

- Tonkin, 1979

Empowerment?

Are these Masked Men Powerful?Assertive?

Controlling?

“I don’t know. You just put it on…It’s like it brings your innermost desires to life…”

– Stanley Ipkiss The Mask, 1994

Mask Law is passed in 1845…to forbid protesters from hiding their identities.

240.35 LOITERINGA person is guilty of loitering when he:

[...]4. Being masked or in any manner

disguised by unusual or unnatural attire or facial alteration, loiters, remains or

congregates in a public place with other persons so masked or disguised or

knowingly permits or aids persons so masked or disguised to congregate in a

public place…[...]

—New York Penal Code, Offenses Against

Public Order

“Of the few people who have heard of the Mask Law, many believe that it was passed to prevent the Klan from marching in New

York wearing their hoods.”

—Bogad, 2003

“While the Klan have used their masks to commit murder and other atrocities with impunity, they now also claim they need their masks to protect themselves from

popular reprisal as a despised, weak group.”

—Bogad, 2003 (Based on CNN.com article, 1999)

“protesters and performers in New York are often ringed by walls of police…and otherwise restricted in their access to

audiences…the use of colorful masks and puppets is a tactic to overcome these

restrictions…”

—Bogad, 2003

“O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast

their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is

most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-

Forgiving, Most Merciful”

- Qur’an 33:59

Suppression?

Are these Veiled WomenWeak?

Passive?Oppressed?

“Perhaps for the majority of the newly veiled women, Islam becomes

a counter-culture to both the immoral, decadent, destructive

West…To wear the veil can thus be a statement of commitment to a

different kind of society”

- Rozario, 2006

You Decide…

Images: http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/unkn/chicagobank1.jpg - robber and robber2http://delivery.gettyimages.com/xc/71154810.jpg?v=1&c=CFW&k=2&d=750D1C2B84DB20E525699FF0B0C39D1C – Theif

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/1708766/2/istockphoto_1708766_lone_ranger.jpg - Cowboy

http://www.crmvet.org/crmpics/staug5a.jpg - KKK 2

http://www.homevideos.com/freezeframes/Mask21.jpg - The Mask1, The mask2, The Mask3

http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/news_images/5328_13982_1.jpg - The Mask4(actual mask)

http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/kkk.jpg - KKK

http://gfx.download-by.net/screen/167/167056-bikini-screen-saver.jpg - bikini2http://www.911buycostume.com/Pages/mask-darkside/Batman%20Mask%202.jpg – Batman

http://www.boxoffice.com/jpg/apr02/spider-man2.jpg - Spiderman

http://battlestarfanclub.com/battlestar/dave/dgcapam.jpg - Captain America

http://guide.supereva.com/wrestling/myimg/165930_1.jpg - Rey Mysterio

http://www.photofile.com/Photos/Photos_Of_The_Day/06_06_22/HC19506.jpg - rey3http://www.starstore.com/acatalog/darth-vader-sideshow-e.jpg - Darth Vader

http://212.67.202.147/~ivnet05/IMG/jpg/marcos46.jpg - Subcommandante Marcos

Bogad, L.M. “Facial Insufficiency: Political Street Performance in New York City and the Selective Enforcement of the 1845 Mask Law.” TDR: The Drama Review. Vol. 47, no. 4. (November 2003) pp. 75-84. Online. World Wide Web. 4 November, 2006 - Protester

http://www.persecution.org/suffering/newssummimg/1964islam-veil.jpg - Veil

http://www.iit.edu/~khanath/ebay/sakina/stock/burqa/afghani/afblack1.jpg - Burqa

http://www.blacktable.com/images/0409pics/charticle/burqa.jpg - Burqa2

http://www.thealarmclock.com/mt/archives/bikini%20girl.png – Bikini Woman

http://creative.gettyimages.com/source/classes/FrameSet.aspx?&UQR=ukvjar&pk=4&source=front&lightboxView=1&txtSearch=veil&selImageType=7&chkLicensed=on&chkRoyaltyFree=on&chkNLM=on – Veil 2

http://creative.gettyimages.com/source/classes/FrameSet.aspx?&UQR=ukvjar&pk=4&source=front&lightboxView=1&txtSearch=veil&selImageType=7&chkLicensed=on&chkRoyaltyFree=on&chkNLM=on – Veil 3

http://creative.gettyimages.com/source/classes/FrameSet.aspx?&UQR=ukvjar&pk=4&source=front&lightboxView=1&txtSearch=veil&selImageType=7&chkLicensed=on&chkRoyaltyFree=on&chkNLM=on – Veil 4

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1c/FrancesPerkinsAfterRooseveltsDeath.gif.jpg - Veil 5

http://www.stuffmagazine.com/includes/popup.aspx?imgLoc=/girls/pam_anderson/pam_anderson_l3.jpg - Pamela Anderson

http://www.stuffmagazine.com/girls/brooke_burke_v/brooke_burke_V_l6.jpg - Brooke Burke

http://www.stuffmagazine.com/girls/destinys_child/destinys_child_l11.jpg - Destiny’s Child (Kelly)

http://images.usatoday.com/news/_photos/2003/06/06-veil-inside.jpg - Veil 6

http://www.afghan-web.com/shop/nproducts/images/burqa.jpg - Burqa 3

http://www.radioradicale.it/images/news/burqa.jpg - Burqas

http://www.enhg.org/ENHG%20Newsletters/2005/01January/05Burqa%202.jpg – Veil 7

Texts: “Court rules KKK must unmask to rally in New York”. CNN.com. 22 October, 1999. http://www.cnn.com/US/9910/22/klan.03/. Online. 8 November, 2006.

“USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts”. University of Southern California. http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/033.qmt.html. Online. 4

November, 2006.

“Memorable Quotes from The Mask (1994)”. IMDB.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110475/quotes. Online. 8 November, 2006 Bogad, L.M. “Facial Insufficiency: Political Street Performance in New

York City and the Selective Enforcement of the 1845 Mask Law.” TDR: The Drama Review. Vol. 47, no. 4. (November 2003) pp. 75-84. Online. World Wide Web. 4 November, 2006.

Rozario, Santi. “The New Burqa in Bangladesh: Empowerment or Violation of Women’s Rights?” Women’s Studies International Forum.. Vol. 29, no. 4. (Jul-Aug 2006) pp. 368- 380. Online. World Wide Web. 3 November, 2006.

Tonkin, E. “Masks and Power” Man (N.S).. Vol. 14. (Jul-Aug 2006) pp. 237-248. Online. World Wide Web. 4 November, 2006.

Young, Robert J. C. (2003). Postcolonialism: A very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press.

Music: Incubus. “Megalomaniac.” A Crow Left of the Murder… Epic, 2005.

Eve. “Who’s That Girl.” Scorpion. Interscope, 2001.

R.E.M. “Losing my Religion.” Out of Time. Warner Bros., 1991.

Audioslave. “I am The Highway.” Audioslave. Sony Music, 2002.

Composed byBryan Ploen - University of Toronto at

Mississauga