Title

Shame and Silence

Authors

Authors

B. B. Janz

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

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

Share

COinS