Episode 3.15: Made to Eat Dirt: The Rhetoric and Politics of Humiliation – Roxanne Euben

Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. Of all of the emotions that spur political engagement, whether in the form of electoral participation or disruptive violence, none currently seem as potent as a sense of humiliation. Political theorist ROXANNE EUBEN's current book project explores how political rhetoric the world over responds to the experience of humiliation. In her discussion with political scientist Matthew Berkman, she delves into the complexity of these responses, which range from the infliction of retaliatory humiliation to attempts to overcome its use entirely, in case studies that focus on the Egyptian protests that overthrew Hosni Mubarek; the gruesome videos of beheadings produced by ISIS; and the political tactics of Donald Trump and the alt-right. Despite the different cultural and linguistic meanings of humiliation, making comparisons a challenge, Euben argues that it important to address it as the global political force it has become.