S. Salman, The Shaming State: How the US Treats Citizens in Need. New York, NY: NYU Press, 2023, 248pp., USD 30 (paperback).
The Shaming State: How the US Treats Citizens in Need embodies a poignant and insightful exploration of the role of the welfare state and the extent to which states have begun to neglect their obligations towards their citizens in times of crisis. By conducting a critical ethnographic analysis of two seemingly divergent groups within US society, namely resettled Iraqi refugees in Wayne County Michigan and New Yorkers impacted by Hurricane Sandy, the author has created a compassionate and astute narrative that portrays the lived experiences and harsh realities of individuals seeking state assistance. Personal accounts of trauma, humiliation and shame are seamlessly interwoven with conceptual critiques of the “American Dream”, and the emergence of market fundamentalism, culminating in a compelling and engaging reader experience.
These two unique case studies are deployed to challenge the deeply ingrained perceptions about the role of the state and the true value of social capital in instances of disaster and displacement. The author candidly highlights two instances in which genuine need and deservingness are reframed by the state and portrayed as overtly taxing, unnecessary measures that would constitute an abuse of taxpayer money. This acts to distort the narrative, casting those in need as inherently undeserving and burdensome, legitimising societal shame and stigmatisation. Through this dual case study analysis, the author proffers the notion of the Shaming State, one in which personal responsibility and self-reliance is heavily emphasised, which creates a cyclical culture of societal self-blaming and shaming. It is suggested that the Shaming State manifests through humiliating and dehumanising interactions with state institutions, which is further compounded by political, societal and cultural shame associated with being vulnerable and in need.
The intricacies and nuanced precarities associated with vulnerability are explored through a critical appraisal of the ideology underpinning the “American Dream”. It is suggested that such feverous idealistic notions surrounding success and entrepreneurialism can be deeply damaging to the internal psyche of American society, by generating expectations centred around hard work and perseverance, which appear near impossible to achieve. The persistence of this societal aspiration is contrasted against what the author argues is the rise of market fundamentalism. This multifaceted exploration is conducted against the backdrop of deservingness and the acquisition of social capital as a means of maintaining self-sufficiency.
This book vividly illustrates the hypocrisy of a nation which prides itself on the promotion and promulgation of democracy, whilst simultaneously neglecting to care for its own citizens. It may be argued that these cases are apt illustrations of the crime of neglect or omission. As a critical criminologist one must endeavour to move beyond a binary understanding of “crime” in order to fully comprehend and meaningfully account for the extent of damage caused by neglectful and disinterested nation-states. Whilst welfare withdrawal and inadequate mechanisms of assistance are not criminal, they are symbolic actions, representative of a wider, systemic ideology, that manifests as real and tangible harm. This raises substantial questions about how nation-states knowingly facilitate the expansion of existing social harms, and whether such states should be liable for these actions and omissions and held accountable for the treatment of their citizens. What do we as a collective global community expect from nation-states regarding welfare and governmental assistance? This is of particular importance as many Western nations are actively grappling with the persistent disparaging and stereotypical rhetoric which continues to permeate and sully any meaningful discussion on the issue of state assistance.
Discussions surrounding the relevance and prevalence of the waning welfare state remain topical and ever-present in contemporary criminological discourse, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic (Beck & Gwilym 2023; Bryant et. al. 2020), as many upper-middle-class individuals suddenly found themselves having to seek out Government assistance in order to survive this crisis period. For this reason, the author’s deliberate decision to select two groups of displaced persons, whom up until the time of displacement were regarded as reasonably middle-class within their own communities, creates a compelling and distinguished analysis, by focusing on a stratum of society often overlooked and neglected in the analysis of post-disaster and post-war recovery and rebuilding efforts. This unique perspective raises further questions surrounding the intersection of welfare–nationalism (Keskinen 2016; Barker 2017) and market fundamentalism, creating an opportunity for future exploration and analysis. For this reason, this book marks a valuable and timely contribution to the field of criminology, and more specifically to the exploration of state crime by critically evaluating the role of the state in actively and intentionally contributing to and exacerbating social harm. In an era dominated by right-wing political populism (Rodrik 2021), growing Nation-State isolationism (Çakir 2020) and mounting social inequalities (Engler & Weisstanner 2020) such explorations of state crime, social harm and liability are crucial in order to garner a deeper understanding of the internal and external workings of the nation-state.