Humiliation
Subtitle: and other essays on honor, social discomfort, and violence
By: William Ian Miller.
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Ithaca
Language: eng
Number of pages: 270
Subjects: Humiliation.; Shame.; Honor.
Description: How do we feel when our friend turns up with a holiday present and we have nothing ready to give in exchange? What lies behind our small social panics and the maneuvers we use, to avoid losing face? Recognizing how much we care about how others see us, this wise and witty book tackles the complex subject of humiliation and the emotions that keep us going as self-respecting social actors. William Ian Miller writes astutely about a host of homely and seemingly banal social occasions and shows us what is buried behind them. In his view, our lives are permeated with sometimes merely uncomfortable, sometimes hair-raising rituals of shame and humiliation. Take the unwanted dinner invitation, the exchange of valentines in grade school, or the "diabolically ingenious invention of the bridal registry." Readers will have no trouble recognizing the social situations he finds indicative of our often perilous dealings with each other.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references ( P. [245]-261) and index.