Masks and Masking: Faces of Tradition and Belief Worldwide [Hardcover]

Gary Edson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0786421185 | ISBN-13: 978-0786421183

For at least 20,000 years, masking has been a mark of cultural evolution and an indication of magical-religious sophistication in society. Ancient cave paintings depict figures with animal masks; early Egyptians left images of humans with animal “heads”; and Incan burial chambers contained masks of gold to cover the faces of the dead. Ancient peoples wore masks to survive the elements, succeed in combat, confirm their identity, attract spouses, celebrate important events, and venerate their personal and collective gods. Current literature suggests an early association between masking and pietistic practice. These and many other uses of masking are an important part of the record of human existence, shedding light on the origins of belief systems and spiritualism in the earliest human societies. Placing the mask in the broader context of the evolution of humanity, this book argues that the mask itself should not be assessed in the service of any single function. Instead, the chapters integrate all functions to provide a comprehensive understanding of the mask as a powerful cultural phenomenon—a means by which individual communities attempted to communicate their dignity and sense of purpose, as well as to establish a continuum between the natural and supernatural worlds. The book addresses the distinctive environments within which masks flourished, and the mask is analyzed as a manifestation of art, ethnology and anthropology. The discussion is augmented by more than 100 illustrations of masks chosen for what they reveal about fundamental emotional and spiritual perspectives, as well as for their different styles, shapes, and designs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Scholarly...invaluable" --Midwest Book Review. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Gary Edson is the executive director of the Museum of Texas Tech University and the director of the Center for Advanced Study of Museum Science Heritage Management in Lubbock, Texas. He is also a professor of museum science.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 267 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (August 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786421185
• ISBN-13: 978-0786421183
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,214,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Masks Worldwide, March 11, 2006

By 

D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer "California B... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masks and Masking: Faces of Tradition and Belief Worldwide (Hardcover)

Discussions range from surveys of masks as communicators and expressions in societies to masks as communal and spiritual symbols. Black and white mask representations peppered throughout add to a scholarly survey of the role and changing meaning of masks in world beliefs. The result is a set of invaluable observations of masks and their underlying roles in societies, and will provide artists with an invaluable set of cultural and social insights with which to better understand the overall meaning and importance of masks around the world.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An examination of the role of masks throughout human history, October 12, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masks and Masking: Faces of Tradition and Belief Worldwide (Hardcover)

Professor of museum science Gary Edson presents Masks And Masking: Faces Of Tradition And Belief Worldwide, an examination of the role of masks throughout human history. Exploring cultural uses of masks from creating a substitute face to as a symbol of magic to as communal symbols and couriers of myth, Masks And Masking argues persuasively that masks should not be assessed as performing a single function across the complex turn of ages and cultures. More than 100 detailed black-and-white drawings illustrate this scholarly and thoughtful discourse.