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Worldly Shame

Ethos in Action

Manu Samnotra

Does shame have any role in politics? Far too often, shame is used as a weapon to dominate those who lack social power. For which reason, it is often regarded with skepticism by its many critics. But in an era where lying in order to get ahead in political contests seems to go unpunished by voters, where the sale of life-saving drugs is increased to astronomical proportions in the pursuit of profits, and where daily infractions against the dignity of individuals is both widespread and quickly forgotten, the seeming lack of shame threatens to undermine the shared values on which a democratic world depends. Drawing on the political thought of Hannah Arendt, especially her writings on Jewish and world politics, Worldly Shame constructs a political category of shame that can help us respond to the crises of the present moment. “Worldly shame” can return to us our sense of judgment, can be an inducement to action, and is a panacea for a world torn apart by horrors that diminish humanity. By developing a capacity for “worldly shame,” we can create political spaces that are hospitable to a plurality of voices and viewpoints, and which can thus be a bulwark against the world-destroying trends that engulf our world every day.

Lexington Books

Pages: 152 • Trim: 6¼ x 9

978-1-7936-1301-1 • Hardback • October 2020 • $100.00 • (£77.00)

978-1-7936-1302-8 • eBook • October 2020 • $45.00 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Political Science / History & Theory

Worldly Shame

Ethos in Action

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Does shame have any role in politics? Far too often, shame is used as a weapon to dominate those who lack social power. For which reason, it is often regarded with skepticism by its many critics. But in an era where lying in order to get ahead in political contests seems to go unpunished by voters, where the sale of life-saving drugs is increased to astronomical proportions in the pursuit of profits, and where daily infractions against the dignity of individuals is both widespread and quickly forgotten, the seeming lack of shame threatens to undermine the shared values on which a democratic world depends. Drawing on the political thought of Hannah Arendt, especially her writings on Jewish and world politics, Worldly Shame constructs a political category of shame that can help us respond to the crises of the present moment. “Worldly shame” can return to us our sense of judgment, can be an inducement to action, and is a panacea for a world torn apart by horrors that diminish humanity. By developing a capacity for “worldly shame,” we can create political spaces that are hospitable to a plurality of voices and viewpoints, and which can thus be a bulwark against the world-destroying trends that engulf our world every day.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 152 • Trim: 6¼ x 9

978-1-7936-1301-1 • Hardback • October 2020 • $100.00 • (£77.00)

978-1-7936-1302-8 • eBook • October 2020 • $45.00 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Political Science / History & Theory

Author

Manu Samnotra is assistant professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of South Florida.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Shame’s Worldliness

Chapter 2: Against “Magic Wands”

Chapter 3: “This Means You”

Chapter 4: “This Elemental Shame”

Chapter 5: The Shame of “Who We Are”

Reviews

Worldly Shame is an absorbing work of political thought that challenges the view that shame cannot and should not play a role in our political lives.

— The Review of Politics

Features

1,/12/2021, KPFA Radio's Against the Grain: Author featured discussing the new book and how shame can motivate people to engage in political action. Link: https://kpfa.org/episode/against-the-grain-january-12-2021/

Worldly Shame

Ethos in Action

Manu Samnotra

Worldly Shame

Ethos in Action

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