Abstract
To act carnivalesque is to be allowed to be abnormal for a while. Paradoxically, to celebrate Mardi Gras, like other masquerade holidays, is normative - it is not only allowable but even expected that one will participate in the seasonal customs. Thus, for people who are already stigmatized as abnormal in society, the masks and the occasion allow an opportunity to engage in normative behavior, to act normal. In this article, I focus upon the Mardi Gras at the National Hansen's Disease Center in Carville, Louisiana, and argue that its potentialities are very different for those with Hansen's disease (leprosy) than for other carnival participants.
Published Version
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