Interdisciplinary Applications of Shame/Violence Theory

This book takes James Gilligan’s theory of shame and violence as a starting point for an application of the model across disciplines (psychology, sociology, philosophy, political science, cultural studies, history, architecture and urban studies) and levels of analysis (from the individual to the global). It critically engages with shame theory, exploring the existential origins, the emotional, linguistic, cognitive and cultural manifestations and symptoms of shame—in the mind, in the body, in public space and in the civic culture—and its relationship with other emotions, such as anger, guilt and pride. It also examines the role of shame in communities that are at the fault lines of current affairs, identity politics and “culture wars”, such as Brexit, trans rights, and racial equality. The book contributes to the literature on political psychology and psychosocial studies by facilitating an innovative application of the concept of shame: blending theory and practice, focusing on gender as a key lever of the mechanism of shame, and exploring the mechanics of shame and shame awareness, so as to seek and propose a range of guiding principles, practical models and possible solutions for the future.

“I found all of the essays very enlightening, including those by the editor himself … . This constitutes a very forward-thinking approach to the application of psychoanalytical concepts and techniques to the wider community. This great book has much to teach us all.” (CONFER, confer.uk.com, December 15, 2022)

We live in a truly ugly world. Thankfully, Professor Roman Gerodimos has assembled the most remarkable team of brilliant intellectuals who have provided us with unparalleled insights into the origins of lethal, global violence. This groundbreaking book must absolutely be read by every single world leader... and by every single citizen as well.

—Professor Brett Kahr, Chair of the Scholars Committee of the British Psychoanalytic Council, and Honorary Director of Research at Freud Museum London, UK

Extraordinary. While we are all focused on the visible crises of war, hate crimes and a pandemic, Roman Gerodimos alerts us to what we aren’t recognizing: that so much violence, so many deaths, and so often our traumas are triggered by shame — by individuals and groups not wanting to appear vulnerable. Every thought-provoking section of the book has actionable intelligence. Activists and scholars across fields will findthis inspiring. And those making public health or public policy decisions as well as those standing on the frontlines of criminal justice or social justice will find it a wise and ultimately hopeful guide to a better future.

—Susan Moeller, Professor of Media & International Affairs, University of Maryland, College Park, USA

This remarkable book draws together a wide range of contributions by those interested in the understanding of the relationship between shame and violence. The foundational thinker in this field is James Gilligan. He has stimulated many others in this collection to apply his insights to other contexts. The collection is wonderfully consistent, insightful, and a vital addition to our understanding of violence. 

—Charles B. Strozier, historian and psychoanalyst, USA

 

Using shame as a focal point to explore phenomena as diverse as family dynamics, local turf wars, and terrorism, Roman Gerodimos and the highly diverse group of practitioners and scholars he has assembled cover a dazzling amount of conceptual and disciplinary space to offer a volume chock-full with ideas and insights about the causes and dynamics of violence.

—Stathis N. Kalyvas, Gladstone Professor of Government, University of Oxford, UK

This pathbreaking interdisciplinary contribution to the human sciences could not be more timely or more needed as we face the continuing threat of forms of political violence both at home and internationally. Its argument is framed by the work of James Gilligan, unique among psychiatrists in extending psychoanalysis, in contrast to Freud and others, to the empirical study of violent American prisoners, listening to them and developing a cultural psychology of largely male violence arising from the humiliation of patriarchal manhood that not only diagnosed the roots of their violence but led to new forms of therapythat, in contrast to American prisons, demonstrably lowered violence both in the prisons and rates of recidivism thereafter at a much lower cost to taxpayers than American prisons. Dr. Gilligan frames the argument of this book in a brilliant opening chapter that shows how his psychology of personal violence extends to political violence, both diagnosing the problem (from Hitler to Osama Bin Laden to Putin) and suggesting how to understand and prevent such violence. His theory of violence, arising from the culture of patriarchy long unquestioned, is complemented by another revelatory chapter in which Carol Gilligan, the developmental psychologist, in conversation with Roman Gerodimos, shows how the problem of violence, including violence against women, arises from the culture of patriarchy, and how radical listening, already powerfully used by James Gilligan in his therapy of prisoners, is the key to breaking the hold of the gender binary of patriarchy, freeing resisting voices of bothmen and women. The following essays in this volume fruitfully explore the implications of this approach in a remarkable range of contexts,  both diagnostic and therapeutic, including exploring shame and the self; humility as a value in resistance; the role of the diagnosis and therapy of shame in children; intervention projects;  violence in football fans, left-wing terrorism; Greek city planning; political violence between Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey; Brexit; the Genderqueer community; shame in black women, dwarfs, and others; and how to break the cycle of shame and violence in all these contexts. 

—David A.J. Richards, Edwin D. Webb Professor of Law, New York University, USA

 

 

Roman Gerodimos is Professor of Global Current Affairs at Bournemouth University, UK, and a Faculty Member at the Salzburg Academy on Media & Global Change, Austria. His research focuses on the challenges facing democracy and global security, and on drivers of civic and global engagement. He is the co-editor of The Media, Political Participation and Empowerment (2013) and The Politics of Extreme Austerity: Greece in the Eurozone Crisis (2015). He has led research projects funded by NATO, the UK Department for International Development, the Independent Social Research Foundation, and the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has also written, directed and produced four short films and a feature length documentary (Deterrence). Roman is the winner of the Political Studies Association’s Arthur McDougall Prize for his research on youth civic engagement, and founder of the Greek Politics Specialist Group of the PSA.