The Power of Symbols

Masks and Masquerade in the Americas

This collection of papers, presented at the 42nd International Congressof Americanists, considers the interplay between the mask, the maskbearer, and the audience. The studies concentrate on the idea ofmasking as a transformational ritual in which the human actor istransformed into a being of another order. The authors use examplesfrom various cultures and in their analyses argue for particular setsof relationships as being crucial to the understanding of the mask.

This collection of papers, presented at the 42nd International Congress of Americanists, considers the interplay between the mask, the mask bearer, and the audience.