Jonathan Wolff and Avner De-Shalit
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199278268
- eISBN:
- 9780191707902
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278268.003.0011
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Social policies designed to help people by securing a particular functioning might harm them by risking other functionings. One example is housing, where policies of slum clearance and rehousing, ...
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Social policies designed to help people by securing a particular functioning might harm them by risking other functionings. One example is housing, where policies of slum clearance and rehousing, while improving people's housing conditions, disrupt their communities and social networks, often leading to severe problems in affiliation, mental health, and the ability to cope. Another example concerns means tested benefits, which while well-intentioned can be experienced as humiliating and stigmatizing, thereby risking a sense of autonomy and self esteem. This chapter argues that policy makers need to consider the total effects of their interventions, rather than simply concerning themselves with only their own policy areas. Remedies of ‘status enhancement’ are recommended, which improve an individual's genuine opportunities for secure functionings by changing the world around them, rather than identifying particular individuals as objects in need of help.Less
Social policies designed to help people by securing a particular functioning might harm them by risking other functionings. One example is housing, where policies of slum clearance and rehousing, while improving people's housing conditions, disrupt their communities and social networks, often leading to severe problems in affiliation, mental health, and the ability to cope. Another example concerns means tested benefits, which while well-intentioned can be experienced as humiliating and stigmatizing, thereby risking a sense of autonomy and self esteem. This chapter argues that policy makers need to consider the total effects of their interventions, rather than simply concerning themselves with only their own policy areas. Remedies of ‘status enhancement’ are recommended, which improve an individual's genuine opportunities for secure functionings by changing the world around them, rather than identifying particular individuals as objects in need of help.
Ann E. Cudd
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195187434
- eISBN:
- 9780199786213
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195187431.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This chapter discusses the direct and indirect psychological harms of oppression. Direct psychological harms are intentionally inflicted by dominant on subordinate groups. These include terror and ...
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This chapter discusses the direct and indirect psychological harms of oppression. Direct psychological harms are intentionally inflicted by dominant on subordinate groups. These include terror and psychological trauma, humiliation and degradation, objectification, religion, ideology, and cultural domination. Indirect psychological harms occur when the beliefs and values of the privileged or oppressor groups are subconsciously accepted by the subordinate and assimilated into their self-concept or value/belief scheme. Indirect forces thus work through the psychology of the oppressed to mold them and co-opt them to result in choices and decisions that harm the oppressed while benefiting the privileged. These include shame and low self-esteem, false consciousness, and deformed desire.Less
This chapter discusses the direct and indirect psychological harms of oppression. Direct psychological harms are intentionally inflicted by dominant on subordinate groups. These include terror and psychological trauma, humiliation and degradation, objectification, religion, ideology, and cultural domination. Indirect psychological harms occur when the beliefs and values of the privileged or oppressor groups are subconsciously accepted by the subordinate and assimilated into their self-concept or value/belief scheme. Indirect forces thus work through the psychology of the oppressed to mold them and co-opt them to result in choices and decisions that harm the oppressed while benefiting the privileged. These include shame and low self-esteem, false consciousness, and deformed desire.
Jacob T. Levy
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297123
- eISBN:
- 9780191599767
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297122.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Examines symbolic ethnic politics: the politics of place names, group names, national symbols, official apologies, and other matters that do not affect the rights or resources of any particular ...
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Examines symbolic ethnic politics: the politics of place names, group names, national symbols, official apologies, and other matters that do not affect the rights or resources of any particular persons. Such symbolism is important in ethnic politics, and a theory with nothing to say about it is unsatisfactory. Disputes over symbolic issues, however, are poorly suited to compromise and easily escalate into rallying points for wider conflicts. In addition, it is often impossible to meet the symbolic demands of all groups simultaneously. The chief constraint on symbolic politics should be non‐humiliation and the avoidance of the celebration of past injustices and violence, a standard that can be met for all groups simultaneously. Official apologies in particular are considered at length; they are defended against the charges of collective guilt and anachronism, but are found to be limited by considerations including the passage of time and institutional discontinuities.Less
Examines symbolic ethnic politics: the politics of place names, group names, national symbols, official apologies, and other matters that do not affect the rights or resources of any particular persons. Such symbolism is important in ethnic politics, and a theory with nothing to say about it is unsatisfactory. Disputes over symbolic issues, however, are poorly suited to compromise and easily escalate into rallying points for wider conflicts. In addition, it is often impossible to meet the symbolic demands of all groups simultaneously. The chief constraint on symbolic politics should be non‐humiliation and the avoidance of the celebration of past injustices and violence, a standard that can be met for all groups simultaneously. Official apologies in particular are considered at length; they are defended against the charges of collective guilt and anachronism, but are found to be limited by considerations including the passage of time and institutional discontinuities.
Jones James W
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195335972
- eISBN:
- 9780199868957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335972.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
“Jihadism in Comparative Perspective: Psychological Themes in Religiously Motivated Terrorism.” This chapter has two goals: first, to describe salient psychological-religious themes found in the ...
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“Jihadism in Comparative Perspective: Psychological Themes in Religiously Motivated Terrorism.” This chapter has two goals: first, to describe salient psychological-religious themes found in the statements of contemporary jidhadists and compare them to those of other world religions and, second, to use these descriptions to elaborate some of the most significant psychological-religious motifs characterizing contemporary religiously motivated terrorism. These motifs form the basis for the analysis carried out in the remainder of the book: the next two chapters provide additional illustrations from two disparate religious traditions, the fifth chapter provides a psychological analysis and commentary on them, and the final chapter discusses what they tell us about religion.Less
“Jihadism in Comparative Perspective: Psychological Themes in Religiously Motivated Terrorism.” This chapter has two goals: first, to describe salient psychological-religious themes found in the statements of contemporary jidhadists and compare them to those of other world religions and, second, to use these descriptions to elaborate some of the most significant psychological-religious motifs characterizing contemporary religiously motivated terrorism. These motifs form the basis for the analysis carried out in the remainder of the book: the next two chapters provide additional illustrations from two disparate religious traditions, the fifth chapter provides a psychological analysis and commentary on them, and the final chapter discusses what they tell us about religion.
Jones James W
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195335972
- eISBN:
- 9780199868957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335972.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
“The Role of the Individual: Toward a Clinical Psychology of Religious Terrorism.” Having laid out some of the primary psychological-religious themes expressed by religiously motivated terrorists and ...
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“The Role of the Individual: Toward a Clinical Psychology of Religious Terrorism.” Having laid out some of the primary psychological-religious themes expressed by religiously motivated terrorists and illustrated them in three different religious traditions, in this chapter the author offers a clinical, primarily psychodynamic, examination of them. Given a multidisciplinary framework, the role of group processes in the radicalization of terrorists is acknowledged. But not every member of a cohort or group becomes radicalized, and not every fanatical religious partisan commits terrorist acts. Individual factors can also play a role. Drawing on contemporary relational psychoanalytic theory and building on the work of Fairbairn, Klein, and Kohut, this chapter discusses some of the psychology involved in themes found in the writings and interviews of religious terrorists.Less
“The Role of the Individual: Toward a Clinical Psychology of Religious Terrorism.” Having laid out some of the primary psychological-religious themes expressed by religiously motivated terrorists and illustrated them in three different religious traditions, in this chapter the author offers a clinical, primarily psychodynamic, examination of them. Given a multidisciplinary framework, the role of group processes in the radicalization of terrorists is acknowledged. But not every member of a cohort or group becomes radicalized, and not every fanatical religious partisan commits terrorist acts. Individual factors can also play a role. Drawing on contemporary relational psychoanalytic theory and building on the work of Fairbairn, Klein, and Kohut, this chapter discusses some of the psychology involved in themes found in the writings and interviews of religious terrorists.
Bettina Muenster and David Lotto
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195379655
- eISBN:
- 9780199777334
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195379655.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Social humiliation is associated with retaliatory behavior, even at additional cost to the retaliator. When humiliated, individuals and groups seem to have a particular appetite for revenge. The ...
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Social humiliation is associated with retaliatory behavior, even at additional cost to the retaliator. When humiliated, individuals and groups seem to have a particular appetite for revenge. The self, it is feared, will never be the same unless such injustice is appropriately addressed. What renders humiliation such a dangerous source for generating violence is the fact that such experiences are often fueled by long-lasting and extremely negative emotions. To exemplify the complexity of the humiliation phenomenon, this chapter presents a brief review of the concept of humiliation using a number of theories from social, existential, and psychoanalytic psychology. It then demonstrates how cultural, social, and psychological forces may combine to trigger the fundamentalist mindset.Less
Social humiliation is associated with retaliatory behavior, even at additional cost to the retaliator. When humiliated, individuals and groups seem to have a particular appetite for revenge. The self, it is feared, will never be the same unless such injustice is appropriately addressed. What renders humiliation such a dangerous source for generating violence is the fact that such experiences are often fueled by long-lasting and extremely negative emotions. To exemplify the complexity of the humiliation phenomenon, this chapter presents a brief review of the concept of humiliation using a number of theories from social, existential, and psychoanalytic psychology. It then demonstrates how cultural, social, and psychological forces may combine to trigger the fundamentalist mindset.
Jennifer A. Glancy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195328158
- eISBN:
- 9780199777143
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328158.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History, Early Christian Studies
Focusing on a single passage of a single early Christian text, chapter 2 situates the body language of 2 Corinthians 11:23–25 in the wider context of the corporal habitus of the early Roman Empire. ...
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Focusing on a single passage of a single early Christian text, chapter 2 situates the body language of 2 Corinthians 11:23–25 in the wider context of the corporal habitus of the early Roman Empire. While a man might well boast of war wounds, a whipping was an event that emasculated a man. Humiliation rather than honor accompanied beatings of the kind Paul endured. The chapter argues that by pointing to his own storytelling body, Paul claims his dubious corporal knowledge as a source of improbable power. Because Paul perceives that his corporal knowledge of repeated violation unites him with Jesus, he is able to position his abject body as a token of his authority. Ultimately, however, the example of Paul’s storytelling body fails to disrupt the habituation of early Christian bodies by Roman norms.Less
Focusing on a single passage of a single early Christian text, chapter 2 situates the body language of 2 Corinthians 11:23–25 in the wider context of the corporal habitus of the early Roman Empire. While a man might well boast of war wounds, a whipping was an event that emasculated a man. Humiliation rather than honor accompanied beatings of the kind Paul endured. The chapter argues that by pointing to his own storytelling body, Paul claims his dubious corporal knowledge as a source of improbable power. Because Paul perceives that his corporal knowledge of repeated violation unites him with Jesus, he is able to position his abject body as a token of his authority. Ultimately, however, the example of Paul’s storytelling body fails to disrupt the habituation of early Christian bodies by Roman norms.
Farhad Khosrokhavar
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195379655
- eISBN:
- 9780199777334
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195379655.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter focuses on global jihadism. Global jihadism is an ideology and a pattern of action that is in an ambivalent relationship to Islamic fundamentalism. In many cases the same attitudes are ...
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This chapter focuses on global jihadism. Global jihadism is an ideology and a pattern of action that is in an ambivalent relationship to Islamic fundamentalism. In many cases the same attitudes are prevalent in it, notably in regard to humiliation and rejection of perverse Western values. But in regard to violence there is a large gap between the two major tendencies within the Islamic world. Fundamentalists consider a peaceful road to Islamic society one in which the political realm will be gradually Islamicized. Jihadists reject the peaceful, democracy-friendly fashion of attaining this goal and propose the recourse to jihad in the most violent manner so as to restore Islam to its former glory. Humiliation is not mastered in a way that might induce gradualism to achieve Islamic goals. On the contrary, it is put at the service of a violence that achieves worldwide focus through its hyperaggressive posturing. Total violence against globalized Western culture and domination is the major characteristic of global jihadism.Less
This chapter focuses on global jihadism. Global jihadism is an ideology and a pattern of action that is in an ambivalent relationship to Islamic fundamentalism. In many cases the same attitudes are prevalent in it, notably in regard to humiliation and rejection of perverse Western values. But in regard to violence there is a large gap between the two major tendencies within the Islamic world. Fundamentalists consider a peaceful road to Islamic society one in which the political realm will be gradually Islamicized. Jihadists reject the peaceful, democracy-friendly fashion of attaining this goal and propose the recourse to jihad in the most violent manner so as to restore Islam to its former glory. Humiliation is not mastered in a way that might induce gradualism to achieve Islamic goals. On the contrary, it is put at the service of a violence that achieves worldwide focus through its hyperaggressive posturing. Total violence against globalized Western culture and domination is the major characteristic of global jihadism.
Jerome Murphy‐O'Connor
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199592104
- eISBN:
- 9780191595608
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199592104.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Early Christian Studies
In all instances in the Corinthian correspondence when ‘Jesus’ is used alone, without any qualification, it carries the connotation of an earthly existence marked by weakness, humiliation, and ...
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In all instances in the Corinthian correspondence when ‘Jesus’ is used alone, without any qualification, it carries the connotation of an earthly existence marked by weakness, humiliation, and suffering. ‘Another Jesus’ in consequence should be the antithesis, namely, ‘the lord of glory’ preached by Paul's opponents at Corinth.Less
In all instances in the Corinthian correspondence when ‘Jesus’ is used alone, without any qualification, it carries the connotation of an earthly existence marked by weakness, humiliation, and suffering. ‘Another Jesus’ in consequence should be the antithesis, namely, ‘the lord of glory’ preached by Paul's opponents at Corinth.
Stuart Carroll
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199290451
- eISBN:
- 9780191710490
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199290451.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
Feud is often used as a convenient shorthand for its most violent manifestation, the vengeance killing. In early modern France, however, feuding was concerned as much with lawsuits and arbitration as ...
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Feud is often used as a convenient shorthand for its most violent manifestation, the vengeance killing. In early modern France, however, feuding was concerned as much with lawsuits and arbitration as with bloodletting. Crucial to modern understandings of the feud has been the relationship of hostility between rival groupings that was characterised by exchanges of defiance, antagonism, and coldness that escalated over time into public insults and attacks on property. Feuding did not necessarily involve bloodshed between the parties: a response had to be carefully considered, balancing the obligation to repair an injury against the implications of excessive force. This chapter discusses the role of insult in the narrative of dispute and the escalation of verbal duelling to vindicatory violence. It examines how insults trigger threats, intimidation, and displays of force, and how the parties to a feud exchanged attacks on property and servants. Lordship and protection, maiming, and humiliation are also examined.Less
Feud is often used as a convenient shorthand for its most violent manifestation, the vengeance killing. In early modern France, however, feuding was concerned as much with lawsuits and arbitration as with bloodletting. Crucial to modern understandings of the feud has been the relationship of hostility between rival groupings that was characterised by exchanges of defiance, antagonism, and coldness that escalated over time into public insults and attacks on property. Feuding did not necessarily involve bloodshed between the parties: a response had to be carefully considered, balancing the obligation to repair an injury against the implications of excessive force. This chapter discusses the role of insult in the narrative of dispute and the escalation of verbal duelling to vindicatory violence. It examines how insults trigger threats, intimidation, and displays of force, and how the parties to a feud exchanged attacks on property and servants. Lordship and protection, maiming, and humiliation are also examined.
Stuart Carroll
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199290451
- eISBN:
- 9780191710490
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199290451.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
Where vengeance killings or duels took place in the full glare of the public gaze they were thereby legitimised. The ritual elements of combat have been exaggerated, but it is undoubtedly true that ...
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Where vengeance killings or duels took place in the full glare of the public gaze they were thereby legitimised. The ritual elements of combat have been exaggerated, but it is undoubtedly true that public acts of vindicatory violence contained a performative element. In France, verbal duelling was often the preliminary to an act of violence and when combatants stood face to face exchanges introduced the action. The rules of mounted combat were different from those on foot. Flight was obviously more of a possibility on horse than on foot, and a good horse could be a life-saver — making the horse itself a target. The festive and ceremonial calendar provided other opportunities for highly public demonstrations of power through display, intimidation, and violence. This chapter also examines the tendency of the victor to deprive the victim of the comforts of faith and subject him to humiliation, along with the desecration of the loser's dead body.Less
Where vengeance killings or duels took place in the full glare of the public gaze they were thereby legitimised. The ritual elements of combat have been exaggerated, but it is undoubtedly true that public acts of vindicatory violence contained a performative element. In France, verbal duelling was often the preliminary to an act of violence and when combatants stood face to face exchanges introduced the action. The rules of mounted combat were different from those on foot. Flight was obviously more of a possibility on horse than on foot, and a good horse could be a life-saver — making the horse itself a target. The festive and ceremonial calendar provided other opportunities for highly public demonstrations of power through display, intimidation, and violence. This chapter also examines the tendency of the victor to deprive the victim of the comforts of faith and subject him to humiliation, along with the desecration of the loser's dead body.
Kimberly Burke
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520252493
- eISBN:
- 9780520944565
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520252493.003.0011
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gender and Sexuality
This chapter describes in searing detail a child's-eye view of parental authority while at a visiting center. In 2002, the author was visited by her seven-year-old son for the first time since she ...
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This chapter describes in searing detail a child's-eye view of parental authority while at a visiting center. In 2002, the author was visited by her seven-year-old son for the first time since she had been incarcerated three years previously. Both mother and son were excited, but their moment was ruined by the prison guard, who rudely told the boy to stay in his seat whenever he tried to get up. Humiliation crept over the author as she realized she could do nothing about it. When she asked her son if he wanted to come again to visit her, he hung his head and said no. This incident, the author believes, will remain in his memory every time he thinks of his prison visit. It is 2008 at the time of writing, and since this incident the author still has not seen her son, who is thirteen. The prison guard was ultimately put on extensive probation and soon after fired for her treatment of the author's son.Less
This chapter describes in searing detail a child's-eye view of parental authority while at a visiting center. In 2002, the author was visited by her seven-year-old son for the first time since she had been incarcerated three years previously. Both mother and son were excited, but their moment was ruined by the prison guard, who rudely told the boy to stay in his seat whenever he tried to get up. Humiliation crept over the author as she realized she could do nothing about it. When she asked her son if he wanted to come again to visit her, he hung his head and said no. This incident, the author believes, will remain in his memory every time he thinks of his prison visit. It is 2008 at the time of writing, and since this incident the author still has not seen her son, who is thirteen. The prison guard was ultimately put on extensive probation and soon after fired for her treatment of the author's son.
Faye Mishna
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199795406
- eISBN:
- 9780199949687
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199795406.003.0015
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
Communication technologies offer young people unprecedented opportunities to communicate with others both in and out of their existing face-to-face social networks. A risk of such communication is ...
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Communication technologies offer young people unprecedented opportunities to communicate with others both in and out of their existing face-to-face social networks. A risk of such communication is that cyber bullying can take place in these media to threaten, harass, humiliate, exclude, or hurt reputations and friendships. This chapter includes a review of various components of cyber bullying definitions and of legal issues related to cyber bullying in the United States and Canada. The author’s finding of research in two urban School Boards is reviewed.Less
Communication technologies offer young people unprecedented opportunities to communicate with others both in and out of their existing face-to-face social networks. A risk of such communication is that cyber bullying can take place in these media to threaten, harass, humiliate, exclude, or hurt reputations and friendships. This chapter includes a review of various components of cyber bullying definitions and of legal issues related to cyber bullying in the United States and Canada. The author’s finding of research in two urban School Boards is reviewed.
Jonathan Glover
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199239979
- eISBN:
- 9780191716874
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199239979.003.0024
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter is an attempt to develop Sen's discussion of how illusions about identity contribute to violent conflict. The importance of nationality and religion in people's sense of their identity ...
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This chapter is an attempt to develop Sen's discussion of how illusions about identity contribute to violent conflict. The importance of nationality and religion in people's sense of their identity is linked to deep psychological needs. The role of identity in violence is linked to group narratives, especially about humiliation and defeat. In terrorist attacks such as 9/11 and in the response to them, the cycle of violence is maintained by the backlash against perceived humiliation, together with illusions about collective responsibility. A case is made for an Enlightenment idea of international order as the way to escape from these cycles of violence.Less
This chapter is an attempt to develop Sen's discussion of how illusions about identity contribute to violent conflict. The importance of nationality and religion in people's sense of their identity is linked to deep psychological needs. The role of identity in violence is linked to group narratives, especially about humiliation and defeat. In terrorist attacks such as 9/11 and in the response to them, the cycle of violence is maintained by the backlash against perceived humiliation, together with illusions about collective responsibility. A case is made for an Enlightenment idea of international order as the way to escape from these cycles of violence.
William A. Callahan
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199549955
- eISBN:
- 9780191720314
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549955.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, International Relations and Politics
The rise of China presents a long‐term challenge to the world not only economically, but also politically and culturally. Callahan meets this challenge in China: The Pessoptimist Nation by using new ...
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The rise of China presents a long‐term challenge to the world not only economically, but also politically and culturally. Callahan meets this challenge in China: The Pessoptimist Nation by using new Chinese sources and innovative analysis to see how Chinese people understand their new place in the world. The heart of Chinese foreign policy is not a security dilemma, but an identity dilemma. Chinese identity emerges through the interplay of positive and negative feelings: China thus is the pessoptimist nation. This positive–negative dynamic intertwines China's domestic and international politics as national security is closely linked to nationalist insecurities. To chart the trajectory of its rise, the book shifts from examining China's national interests to exploring its national aesthetic. Rather than answering the standard social science question “What is China?” with statistics of economic and military power, this book asks “When, Where, and Who is China?” to explore the soft power dynamics of China's identity politics. China: The Pessoptimist Nation examines Beijing's propaganda system and its patriotic education policy to see how Chinese identity is formed through a celebration of ancient civilization and a commemoration of humiliation suffered in modern history. It shows how China's relationship with itself and the world takes shape in the pessoptimist dynamics of patriotic education policy and the national humiliation curriculum, national days and national humiliation days, national maps and national humiliation maps, foreign brothers and domestic strangers, and Chinese patriots and foreign devils. Together the chapters demonstrate how the identity politics of Chinese nationalism produce the security politics of Chinese foreign policy. They show how the pessoptimist link between China's dream of civilization and its nightmare of humiliation is not fading away. It provides the template of China's foreign relations that inflames popular feelings for future demonstrations, and primes the indignant youth for explosive protests. Callahan concludes that Chinese identity grows out of a dynamic of reciprocal influence that integrates official policy and popular culture. This interactive view of China's pessoptimist identity means that we need to rethink the role of the state and public opinion in Beijing's foreign policy‐making.Less
The rise of China presents a long‐term challenge to the world not only economically, but also politically and culturally. Callahan meets this challenge in China: The Pessoptimist Nation by using new Chinese sources and innovative analysis to see how Chinese people understand their new place in the world. The heart of Chinese foreign policy is not a security dilemma, but an identity dilemma. Chinese identity emerges through the interplay of positive and negative feelings: China thus is the pessoptimist nation. This positive–negative dynamic intertwines China's domestic and international politics as national security is closely linked to nationalist insecurities. To chart the trajectory of its rise, the book shifts from examining China's national interests to exploring its national aesthetic. Rather than answering the standard social science question “What is China?” with statistics of economic and military power, this book asks “When, Where, and Who is China?” to explore the soft power dynamics of China's identity politics. China: The Pessoptimist Nation examines Beijing's propaganda system and its patriotic education policy to see how Chinese identity is formed through a celebration of ancient civilization and a commemoration of humiliation suffered in modern history. It shows how China's relationship with itself and the world takes shape in the pessoptimist dynamics of patriotic education policy and the national humiliation curriculum, national days and national humiliation days, national maps and national humiliation maps, foreign brothers and domestic strangers, and Chinese patriots and foreign devils. Together the chapters demonstrate how the identity politics of Chinese nationalism produce the security politics of Chinese foreign policy. They show how the pessoptimist link between China's dream of civilization and its nightmare of humiliation is not fading away. It provides the template of China's foreign relations that inflames popular feelings for future demonstrations, and primes the indignant youth for explosive protests. Callahan concludes that Chinese identity grows out of a dynamic of reciprocal influence that integrates official policy and popular culture. This interactive view of China's pessoptimist identity means that we need to rethink the role of the state and public opinion in Beijing's foreign policy‐making.
Shane Strate
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824838911
- eISBN:
- 9780824869717
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824838911.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The Lost Territories explores the legacy of defeat and victimhood in the production of Thai historiography and the formation of national identity. Unlike Royal-Nationalist narratives, which celebrate ...
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The Lost Territories explores the legacy of defeat and victimhood in the production of Thai historiography and the formation of national identity. Unlike Royal-Nationalist narratives, which celebrate the kingdom’s eternal independence, National Humiliation historiography presents Thailand’s past as a series of emasculating encounters with the West. The 1893 Franco-Siamese forms the cornerstone of National Humiliation discourse since it resulted in the amputation of the lost territories from the nation-body. Throughout the twentieth century, maps of the lost territories have instilled each new generation with a sense of shame owing to the country’s decline from regional power to European client state. National Humiliation narratives have generated suspicion and hostility towards neighboring countries by misinforming the Thai public regarding past border conflicts. The military has used related imagery to maintain a central role in politics while pursuing an expansionist foreign policy agenda. National Humiliation continues to be exploited by state and civic authorities to prey on anxieties regarding Thai independence and to promote an exclusive vision of national unity.Less
The Lost Territories explores the legacy of defeat and victimhood in the production of Thai historiography and the formation of national identity. Unlike Royal-Nationalist narratives, which celebrate the kingdom’s eternal independence, National Humiliation historiography presents Thailand’s past as a series of emasculating encounters with the West. The 1893 Franco-Siamese forms the cornerstone of National Humiliation discourse since it resulted in the amputation of the lost territories from the nation-body. Throughout the twentieth century, maps of the lost territories have instilled each new generation with a sense of shame owing to the country’s decline from regional power to European client state. National Humiliation narratives have generated suspicion and hostility towards neighboring countries by misinforming the Thai public regarding past border conflicts. The military has used related imagery to maintain a central role in politics while pursuing an expansionist foreign policy agenda. National Humiliation continues to be exploited by state and civic authorities to prey on anxieties regarding Thai independence and to promote an exclusive vision of national unity.
Ian Green
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198208600
- eISBN:
- 9780191678097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208600.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, History of Religion
Faith was more than a matter of praying to God and participating in the sacraments, and authors and publishers produced a large number of publications to help the faithful understand and implement ...
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Faith was more than a matter of praying to God and participating in the sacraments, and authors and publishers produced a large number of publications to help the faithful understand and implement their beliefs. Though the distinction was in practice often blurred at the time, some authors chose to focus more on the inner, spiritual side of that faith — soul-searching, self-humiliation, and repentance — while others either described the life of faith in terms of actions and thoughts which embraced both introspection and outward actions in roughly equal proportions, or devoted more space to the importance of the daily round of outward acts of piety at home and in the community. This chapter looks these different types of treatise in turn.Less
Faith was more than a matter of praying to God and participating in the sacraments, and authors and publishers produced a large number of publications to help the faithful understand and implement their beliefs. Though the distinction was in practice often blurred at the time, some authors chose to focus more on the inner, spiritual side of that faith — soul-searching, self-humiliation, and repentance — while others either described the life of faith in terms of actions and thoughts which embraced both introspection and outward actions in roughly equal proportions, or devoted more space to the importance of the daily round of outward acts of piety at home and in the community. This chapter looks these different types of treatise in turn.
Vincent L. Wimbush
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199873579
- eISBN:
- 9780199949595
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199873579.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Chapter 5 focuses on Equiano’s narration of his conversion experience as full entry into the discursive regime of scripturalization as magical arts.
Chapter 5 focuses on Equiano’s narration of his conversion experience as full entry into the discursive regime of scripturalization as magical arts.
David E. Barclay
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198204305
- eISBN:
- 9780191676192
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198204305.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The Crown Prince of Prussia, the future Frederick William IV, had never exactly cut a dashing or martial figure. Fat and balding Frederick always felt more at home in the company of artists and ...
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The Crown Prince of Prussia, the future Frederick William IV, had never exactly cut a dashing or martial figure. Fat and balding Frederick always felt more at home in the company of artists and architects than in the glittering world of court society. Despite his appreciation of the importance of ceremony and ritual, Frederick William III was himself a painfully shy man not usually given to gaudy display. Always devoted to his family, he was now surrounded by his four sons and his three daughters, along with their spouses. Few monarchs of his or any age had endured calamities and humiliations of the sort which had been his fate between 1806 and 1814. He has also been held responsible for the military collapse of 1806 and the royal family's ignominious flight from Berlin.Less
The Crown Prince of Prussia, the future Frederick William IV, had never exactly cut a dashing or martial figure. Fat and balding Frederick always felt more at home in the company of artists and architects than in the glittering world of court society. Despite his appreciation of the importance of ceremony and ritual, Frederick William III was himself a painfully shy man not usually given to gaudy display. Always devoted to his family, he was now surrounded by his four sons and his three daughters, along with their spouses. Few monarchs of his or any age had endured calamities and humiliations of the sort which had been his fate between 1806 and 1814. He has also been held responsible for the military collapse of 1806 and the royal family's ignominious flight from Berlin.
William A. Callahan
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199549955
- eISBN:
- 9780191720314
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549955.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, International Relations and Politics
Summarizes the main points of China: The Pessoptimist Nation, and draws conclusions about what China's identity – security dynamic means for the United States and the EU, before looking at how ...
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Summarizes the main points of China: The Pessoptimist Nation, and draws conclusions about what China's identity – security dynamic means for the United States and the EU, before looking at how China's public intellectuals are thinking about the future. It argues that rather than finding the core of “Chinese nationalism,” the book shows how Chinese identity emerges through the interplay of positive and negative feelings that intertwine China's domestic and international politics, and national security with nationalist insecurities. The book concludes that Chinese identity grows out of a dynamic of reciprocal influence that integrates official policy and popular culture. This interactive view of China's pessoptimist identity means that we need to rethink the role of the state and public opinion in Beijing's foreign policy‐making. The party‐state's pessoptimist structure of feeling actually narrows the possibilities for what it means to be Chinese by promoting a contentious paradigm of international politics. The book ends with a brief consideration of how China's opinion‐makers are thinking about their country's future – and the world's future.Less
Summarizes the main points of China: The Pessoptimist Nation, and draws conclusions about what China's identity – security dynamic means for the United States and the EU, before looking at how China's public intellectuals are thinking about the future. It argues that rather than finding the core of “Chinese nationalism,” the book shows how Chinese identity emerges through the interplay of positive and negative feelings that intertwine China's domestic and international politics, and national security with nationalist insecurities. The book concludes that Chinese identity grows out of a dynamic of reciprocal influence that integrates official policy and popular culture. This interactive view of China's pessoptimist identity means that we need to rethink the role of the state and public opinion in Beijing's foreign policy‐making. The party‐state's pessoptimist structure of feeling actually narrows the possibilities for what it means to be Chinese by promoting a contentious paradigm of international politics. The book ends with a brief consideration of how China's opinion‐makers are thinking about their country's future – and the world's future.
