As The Washington Post has reported, “at the heart of the dismal U.S. coronavirus response” is a “fraught relationship with masks.” In this series of commentaries — inspired by an idea from associate professor of literature Sandy Alexandre — MIT faculty delve into the cultural, creative, and historic meanings of masks. Drawing on discipline expertise, the professors offer new ways to think about, appreciate, and practice protective masking — currently a primary way to save lives and to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. The following are distilled excerpts from the commentaries…
