ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the issue of shame, particularly, following Elias, a personal internalised sense of shame, is asserted as a key factor in self-regulation and ultimately in a societal ‘civilising process’ which deters violence and killing. This shame, it is argued, is socially constructed, and the role of the observer is crucial to the production of the ‘observing self’ who anticipates the judgement of others on our actions. The art of politics is often the art of allocating blame and shame to others, whilst avoiding blame oneself, and shame – and the desire to avoid it – plays a major role in the political arena. However, more powerful political actors can avoid shame more successfully than the less powerful.
