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Short abstract

The contribution shows how facial recognition evasion rooted in military camouflage reveals hidden military influence on art and socal theory. It proposes a framework of secrecy and (in)visibility to examine the interconnectedness of military practices and sociological theory.

Long abstract

Facial recognition evasion tech like Shieldwear (Harvey 2017) artistically disrupts algorithmic control, yet its camouflage roots trace to military origins. This contribution examines such interference moments in digital networks through "a-relationality" as a social mode, foregrounding the military's under-theorized role in sociological inquiry. This is just one example of how intertwined military, social, and artistic processes are and how little obvious this often is. This contribution addresses precisely this gap. It aims to highlight the significance of the military for sociological theory building by drawing on various imaginaries of secrecy (Caygill 2015; Horn 2011) and (in)visibility (Yamamoto-Masson). This socio-material analysis of military camouflage histories, Shieldwear designs, and subversive art projects reveals mutual causality in networks of agency and patriarchy. Military hegemonies shape disruptions (e.g., evasion as inverted control), while artistic appropriations subvert them into state-eluding resistance. Sheding light on the military logics in social theory illuminates actorship beyond human-centered views, challenging patriarchal structures in surveillance societies. This framework urges sociologists to "follow the military" in tech-art entanglements, offering tools for critiquing persistent hegemonies.

References:

Caygill, H. (2015). Arcanum: The Secret Life of State and Civil Society. In D. Dwivedi & S. V. (Hrsg.), The Public Sphere From Outside the West (S. 21–40). Bloomsbury Publishing.

Harvey, A. (2017, April 1). Adam Harvey—Stealth Wear. https://adam.harvey.studio/stealth-wear/

Horn, E. (2011). Logics of Political Secrecy. Theory, Culture & Society, 28(7), 103–122. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276411424583

Yamamoto-Masson, N. (o. J.). On Disappearance – σ and Strategic Withdrawal From Surface Monitoring.