"Hiding our faces to be seen": strategies of visibility of activism

Abstract

This paper explores how this gesture of masking, hiding, and facial-covering is not only a liberation response to a form of oppression or a political statement against some unlawful action; but that it also works as a strategy of visibility. Following the research of Eesley, DeCelles and Lenox (2015) focusing on activist types and tactics and Bennet (2003), about global activism and networked politics, we explore the strategic communication component behind the visibility in these protests. As Ciszek states “activism is a form of strategic communication” (2017, p.702). Combining a series of quantitative and qualitative techniques for its analysis, this paper brings together recent forms of “masked activism” around the world. We elaborate a typology that helps for the understanding of the strategies and actions happening in activism and social movements with the use of masks. The question deriving from this principle would be then, to what extent those actions and strategies are ideologically grounded: can these strategies and actions differ from movements to movements? And in particular, what does the mask do, in each case? Is a mask more than a mask? Exploring these aspects should enable further research on social movements and political activism from the strategic and communicative organisation.