As The Washington Post has reported, “at the heart of the dismal U.S. coronavirus response” is a “fraught relationship with masks.” With this “meaning of masks” series, which explores the myriad historic, creative, and cultural meanings of masks, we aim to offer our fellow Americans more ways to appreciate and practice protective masking — a primary means for containing the Covid-19 pandemic. Emma J. Teng is the T.T. and Wei Fong Chao Professor of Asian Civilizations at MIT and director of MIT Global Languages. A member of the History Section…
