Faces (A Cultural History)

The face: our most distinguishing feature, but one which remains alien to us and which hides as much as it reveals. The slightest variation in characteristics is enough to distinguish one physiognomy from another, to determine identity and to draw a line between one person and another. In the moral hierarchy of bodily geography, the face embodies the highest value. It is the privileged site of love and hate, and judgements of beauty or ugliness are inscribed within it. It is so highly valued that any change, any visible trace of injury, can be perceived as a tragedy, akin to an attack on one's identity. An individual's unique face corresponds to the uniqueness of his or her personal adventure. It is also the vehicle through which we produce and manage our daily interactions with others. The face precedes individuals, announces their presence, indicates whether they are known and displays their possible intentions. An integral part of the human body, the face is a part like no other.

David Le Breton offers a wide-ranging cultural history and anthropology of the face, from the mirror and the veil, to the portrait and the invention of photography, to cosmetic surgery, the selfie, facial recognition and AI. He reflects on how age leaves its mark on our fragile faces and how the symbolic violence perpetrated by racism is expressed in the refusal to grant a person the dignity of a face. He reflects too on how the proliferation of faces in the age of the selfie renders the face banal, destroying its aura and weakening the social bond: selfies proliferate in a world where face-to-face encounters are becoming increasingly rare, as individuals become monads focused on their phones. We are less and less together and more and more side by side, our eyes glued to our screens, no longer looking at each other.

This magisterial book will appeal to anyone interested in the face and the many roles it has played in our history, culture and social life, and in how these roles might be changing today in our contemporary digital age.