Shame and Silence

    Authors

    B. B. Janz

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    South Afr. J. Philos.

    Keywords

    AGAMBEN, GIORGIO; LIFE; Philosophy

    Abstract

    Samantha Vice's proposal on how to live in 'this strange place' of contemporary South Africa, includes an appeal to the concepts of shame and silence. In this paper, I use Emmanuel Levinas and Giorgio Agamben to move the discussion of shame from a moral to an existential question. The issue is not about how one should feel, but about the kind of self that whiteness in South Africa makes possible today. Shame desubjectifies. Vice's recommendation of silence is then taken as witnessing/listening, which I argue grounds the possibility of a recovery of the self.

    Journal Title

    South African Journal of Philosophy

    Volume

    30

    Issue/Number

    4

    Publication Date

    1-1-2011

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    462

    Last Page

    471

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000298621900007

    ISSN

    0258-0136

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