Beneath the Laarve
Masking during the Basel Carnival of Fasnacht (Faasnacht)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2391265 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Olga Věra Cieslarová (0000-0001-9875-2670, Charles University, corresponding author), Martin Pehal (Charles University, Czechia), Werner Kern (Switzerland) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 451-478 |
| Publication date | 2023-09-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Material Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1359-1835 • E-ISSN: 1460-3586 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/13591835221149681 |
| OpenAlex | W4317627055 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
Describing the historical development of the mask ( Laarve) 2 within the carnival tradition of the Basel Fasnacht ( Faasnacht, Switzerland) during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, this article offers a case study of the so-called reflexive turn in late modern ('post-traditional') societies. Drawing on the concept of ritual reflexivity, we argue that the gradual development of the Fasnacht masks into oversized constructions covering the ritualist's whole head ( Laarve) went hand in hand with the development of various other ritual mechanisms aimed at facilitating within the ritual framework a meditative, inward-oriented stance ( enstasis). 3 This is especially interesting as carnivals tend to be associated with precisely the opposite dynamics: transcending social norms through the celebration of excess and inebriation which, in its extreme forms, may lead to ekstasis (or at least a headache). The described ritual elements are interpreted as a series of mirroring mechanisms nested within one another. The ritual handling of the Laarve by the ritualists (its donning and taking off at regular intervals) is then understood simultaneously as a facilitator and a marker fuelling and isolating individual phases of an otherwise non-discrete reflexive process. Based on first-hand accounts of ritualists' experiences of mask-wearing, we will show how Basel Fasnacht walks a tightrope between 'modelling' and 'mirroring' societal, communal and idiosyncratic levels of meaning-making
Aesthetics · Epistemology · Facilitator · Meaning (existential · Mirroring · Reflexivity · Sociology · Anthropology · Communication · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · History · Philippine History and Culture · Philosophy · Psychology · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices · Social Psychology
| Highly cited | No |
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