Inside stories: Oscar Wilde, Jean Améry, Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi (original) (raw)
Forced social displacement is an emotional challenge to people and a political challenge to states. Oscar Wilde, Jean Améry, Nelson Mandela and Aang San Suu Kyi each suffered imprisonment at the hands of political establishments that were themselves afraid of being overthrown or pushed aside. This analysis compares the four cases, exploring the formation of each individual habitus; its expression in handling fear, sorrow and anger; the management of emotional risk and reward; the interplay of recognition, misrecognition and non-recognition; the implications of publicity as compared to secrecy; and the deployment of strategies for coping with forced social displacement including acceptance, reconciliation, escape, resistance, and revenge. Some implications for contemporary politics are drawn, with particular reference to the destructive potential of resentment and revenge.
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