Spirituality of Resistance: African American Masking in Contemporary Mardi Gras

FAIN: HB-288987-23

Kim Vaz-Deville
Xavier University of Louisiana (New Orleans, LA 70125-1056)

Research and writing of a book about the influence of spirituality on masking traditions in New Orleans Mardi Gras.

Black maskers embody one of the most vibrant carnival practices in New Orleans. On Mardi Gras, these African Americans adorn themselves with hand-sewn suits and regalia of feathers, beads, and rhinestones. They engage in performance activities that date back more than a century. Over the past sixty years, and with controversy, some maskers began to characterize their practices as having an overt spiritual dimension. The project explores a history of investments in a material culture informed by spiritual practices outside mainstream Christianity and away from traditional themes in Black masking. Their designs also include memories of slavery and segregation, current topics of resistance (e.g., political movements like Black Lives Matter), policies (e.g., Critical Race Theory), and crises (e.g., Covid-19). Drawing on participant observation and ethnography, I will write a book on how spiritual beliefs and practices shape, challenge, and transform artistic decision-making. [Edited by staff]