The Face and the Sacred: Some Points of Analysis

Abstract

This article examines the importance of the face in Western societies as the axis of identity, through the ambiguity of the sacred that is expressed in the dichotomy sanctity/ uncleanliness. The role of the face is analyzed from the points of view of romantic relationships, where the face is the object of admiration, and from racism, where the face loses its specificity and is used to dehumanize the other. Likewise, the article analyzes the consequences of disfiguration for the identity of the individual, the process of aging and how it originates in a society that is obsessed with youth and beauty.