Felina unmasked; transparency, anonymity and power

This chapter reflects on the dynamics of masking and unmasking the human face. These dynamics are explored through an examination of Subcomandante Marco's use of the mask in the late 1990s and then developed further through an analysis of Felina's use of Twitter as a mask in the early 2000s. The notion of transparency is central to an understanding of the public sphere as a universally accessible arena characterised by reason, inclusivity, and sincerity. However, if one experiences the public sphere not as a utopia of transparency but as a Foucauldian nightmare of surveillance and coercion, then the desire for anonymity—typified by the use of the mask—can be read very differently. This is particularly true for the citizens of nation states in which the principles of representative democracy have not taken hold. In such circumstances, citizens often find themselves striving to conceal their identity within their local community whilst also seeking recognition from a global community where the European values of liberty, equality, and fraternity have more currency. Thus, this chapter examines the relationship between local and global formations of anonymity with particular reference to the connections between online and offline practices.