Jennifer Jacquet

Explores the social nature of shame, and the ways in which it might be used, sparingly and pointedly, to promote political change and social reform.

New Uses for an Old Tool

Is Shame Necessary?

Dilara Alemdar

I was really excited to read this book as I agree that public shaming can be beneficial for environmentalist/ animal rights causes. That being said, I think I was expecting a bit more in-detail look into why shaming can be effective. There were interesting bits about the difference of guilt and shame but the majority of the book reads like a list of cases where shaming worked/ didn't work and why (It's possible that this is a consequence of a trade publishing house's (Vintage) editorial demands for keeping it simple). It is still a necessary read for a general audience but if you are already interested in activism or are in the academia, I would suggest skipping the book and just reading Jennifer Jacquet's articles on the subject.

Is Shame Necessary? New Uses for an Old Tool

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