{"product_id":"9781350236165","title":"Masked Anonymity, Empowerment, and Identity in Fashion and Popular Culture","description":"\u003ch1\u003eMasked\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAnonymity, Empowerment, and Identity in Fashion and Popular Culture\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLaini Burton\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eDesign \/ Fashion \u0026amp; Accessories\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat is a mask?  A disguise or a means of protection? \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eLaini Burton's comprehensive examination of  masking in Western culture explores t\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ehe mask as an enduring tool of personal, political and social transformation.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeginning in the Middle Ages, Burton explores how key examples such as Venetian carnival and English masquerade sit at a historical crossroads between medieval masking traditions and early modern cultural shifts. These historical precedents reveal how politics, social order, performance, and identity continue to drive masking practices today. Turning to contemporary culture, Burton evaluates the mask's varied uses in club culture, haute couture, celebrity performances, masked protests, social media, and digital innovations including deepfakes. Through these contexts, Burton demonstrates how masks enable anonymity, reinvention, catharsis, celebration, and unity. Chapters consider how masks function as material objects and symbolic devices, challenging fundamental assumptions about authenticity, surface and depth, visibility and recognition. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMasked: Anonymity, Empowerment, and Identity in Fashion and Popular Culture\u003c\/i\u003e urges us to reconsider how identities are constructed, maintained, and performed, identifying the mask as a paradoxical mechanism that not only obscures identity, but actively constructs, mediates, and transforms it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLaini Burton\u003c\/b\u003e is Senior Lecturer in Art History and Theory at the Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University, Australia. Her research centres on contemporary visual art practices, bio-art and design, fashion theory, performance, and body\/spatial relations.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e09 July 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Visual Arts\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781350236165\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e224\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e22.56\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51378277515404,"sku":"9781350236165","price":103.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_9ccc7802-3bca-4ca1-aec2-a94c1ae1696e.jpg?v=1783908338","url":"https:\/\/lateknightbooks.com\/products\/9781350236165","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}