Theses by Thomas Kainberger
Papers by Thomas Kainberger
BRILL, 2024
Shame has many faces. On the one hand, it contributes to social cohesion and seems to be indispen... more Shame has many faces. On the one hand, it contributes to social cohesion and seems to be indispensable to human morality. A liability to shame is widely regarded as a virtue, while shamelessness is considered morally reprehensible and dysfunctional. On the other hand, shame has shown to be associated with (self-)destructive behaviours and various negative psychological conditions. Moreover, in enforcing norms and values, shame often exhibits a dangerous normalizing function. In this article, we want to inquire into the nature of the relation between shame and power. The aim of this article is to answer the question, whether shame can also have a different, critical relation to power. Drawing on Gilles Deleuze's engagement with Primo Levi, we will show that shame, rather than functioning as an instrument of oppression, can take on a critical role with regard to normative infrastructures. In using ethical-human animal issues, particularly dietary norms, to prove this thesis, our article also responds to Crary and Gruen's call for an approach to animal ethics that is more sensitive to oppressive social and political structures than traditional approaches, since our argument shows how shame can play an important role in a critical animal theory.
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Theses by Thomas Kainberger
Papers by Thomas Kainberger