Kristina Miklavic: Shame as a Norm Regulator for Gendered Subjectivities

My presentation deals with the notion of shame and how it operates as a norm regulator for expressing masculinity and femininity, and, thus, forms constructions of ideal gendered subjectivities. As an individual experience, shame is mostly thought of as a negative emotion that debilitates and contributes to suffering. Building on Taylor and Bartky's notions of shame, Manion's conception of shame as a potential positive notion for the individual and the transformations it can instigate, and Foucault's notion of power, I examine how productive notions of shame can be understood as subjugating, but also potentially transformatory for the indidivual. Further, using the work of Lethinen, I consider how these shame experiences are gendered and, consequently, provide for gendered transformations.