Humiliation, shame, and violence: Honor, trauma, and political extremism before and after the 2009 crisis in Greece

Abstract

Recent scholarship has mapped the dynamic between humiliation and violence, including the role of trauma and self-esteem. While existing research has mostly focused on individuals, there is a strong case for applying this framework to the macrosocial level. Taking an interdisciplinary approach that combines psychoanalysis, cultural anthropology, and political sociology, this paper carries out a step-by-step application of Gilligan’s shame/violence theory to the case of Greece, focusing on the post-2009 era known as “the Crisis.” This paper outlines the root causes of the shame/violence dynamic in Greece, with reference to communitarian moral codes and honor crimes, as well as political divisions, unresolved trauma, and shame/violence spirals originating in the mid-twentieth century. It then examines the role of humiliation during the current economic crisis, as well as the surge of political aggression. The application of Gilligan’s theory provides us with a compelling interpretation of civic culture in contemporary Greece, throwing light on patterns of collective self-harming behavior (“suicide by cop”) – as both a possible result of subjective humiliation, and a means of seeking pity and attention. The paper also identifies the existence of accumulated shame, which could lead to outbreaks of political extremism.

Key words:

• civic culture
• honor
• humiliation
• narcissistic trauma
• shame
• violence

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Professor Barry Richards, Dr. Irene Agapidaki, and the two anonymous referees for their valuable feedback and comments, as well as Jonathan Asser for his input on the Shame/Violence Intervention approach. Part of this research was carried out during a visiting fellowship at the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Roman Gerodimos

Dr Roman Gerodimos is a principal academic in global current affairs at Bournemouth University, UK, a senior faculty member at the Salzburg Academy on Media & Global Change, and the founder of the Greek Politics Specialist Group (GPSG) of the UK’s Political Studies Association.