Paper short abstract:

Register points us to the compass, range and variety of a performance. In the study of contemporary Nigerian masking the concept of register, extending from street gangs to national festivals, pop music to contemporary art, offers insight into the vitality of this performative genre.

Paper long abstract:

David Pratten is a social anthropologist whose research focuses on themes of history, violence and the state in south-eastern Nigeria. David took his PhD at SOAS under the supervision of J. D. Y. Peel. The focus of his initial work was an historical ethnography of colonialism which investigated the events surrounding a series of mysterious murders during the late 1940s. More recently his research has examined issues of youth, democracy and disorder in post-colonial Nigeria with a particular focus on vigilantism and masquerade performances. In its musical and linguistic senses, register points us to the 'compass' of an instrument; the particular range of tones; the variety of a language, and the degree of its formality. From street gangs to national festivals, pop music to contemporary art Nigerian masks operate within contrasting aesthetic and performative registers. In the study of contemporary masking the ability to perform within a broad range of registers appears central to its persistence.