Also closely related to oppression and empowerment is the prevention of humiliation. An increasing number of scholars see humiliation as the number one cause of violence and suffering around the world. According to humiliation scholar Evelyn Lindner, the power of humiliation to destroy everyone and everything in its path makes it "the nuclear bomb of the emotions."

While exceptionally dangerous, it is also distressingly pervasive — commonly seen when parents discipline their children, in schools where the smart children are rewarded and the slow ones are shunned, and in societies that disempower, marginalize, or downright torment some groups, be they women, minority ethnic or religious groups, or the poor.

Humiliation is also common in the international sphere — the humiliation of Germany after World War I is widely seen as contributing to Hitler's rise and World War II; the humiliation of Iraqi citizens in Abu Ghraib in particular, and in the way the U.S. dealt with the Iraqi people more generally is thought by many to be the cause of the ensuing Iraqi insurgency.

The opposite of humiliation is respect, and it is just as powerful in a positive way as humiliation is in a negative way. When people are dealt with respectfully, they tend to be much more open to listening to other views, and to working with other people cooperatively. Teaching people the importance and value of respect, and how to show it to others, is thus a key remedy to the problem of humiliation.

Research on humiliation is surprisingly new, but it is increasing rapidly, in part through the indefatigable efforts of Evelin Lindner, who is the founder of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies Program at Columbia University. Her research on humiliation is reflected in the attached essay, which is supplemented by other materials on this topic.

• Humiliation - Humiliation is reducing to lowliness or submission. It is theorized to be a major cause of violent and intractable conflicts. The humiliation of the German people after World War I, for example, is frequently seen as a cause of World War II.
• Victimhood - In the early 1930s, millions of Ukranians died under Stalin's violent policy of forced collectivization. The depth of pain, fear, and hatred that continued to characterize the Ukrainian attitude toward Russians is typical of all victimized people. This essay examines the causes and consequences of a sense of victimhood.
• Respect - Treating people with respect is key to conflict transformation. When they are denied respect, people tend to react negatively, creating conflicts or escalating existing ones.

• Making Enemies: Humiliation and International Conflict
  Evelin Lindner
  This book highlights the critical role of humiliation in escalating and perpetuating destructive conflicts, arguing that humiliation is the "nuclear bomb of emotions." Ways to avoid it, and recover from it are also discussed.
• Moral Conflict
  W. Barnett Pearce and Stephen W. Littlejohn
  Conflicts based on deep moral differences may be aggravated when traditional conflict resolution techniques are used. To avoid this, Littlejohn and Pearce develop new communication patterns they term transcendent discourse. Transcendent discourse can help to literally transcend moral differences, and encourage mutual respect.

Other Resources of Interest:

• Goldman, J.S. & Coleman, P.T. How Humiliation Fuels Intractable Conflict: The Effects of Emotional Roles on Recall and Reactions to Conflictual Encounters. New York, NY: International Center for Cooperation & Conflict Resolution, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2005.
  Author's Description
• Miller, W.I. Humiliation and Other Essays on Honor, Social Discomfort, and Violence. Ithica, NY: Cornell University Press, 1993.
  Vendor's Description
• Ellul, Jacques & Joyce Main Hanks (Translator). Humiliation of the World. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985.
  Publisher's Description
• Steinber, B.S. Shame and Humiliation: Presidential Decision Making on Vietnam. Montreal/UK: McGill-Queen's, 1996.
  Publisher's Description
• Lindner, Evelin G. What Every Negotiator Ought to Know: Understanding Humiliation. Coalition for Global Solidarity and Social Development, Peace and Conflicts, 2000. Available at: http://globalsolidarity.transcend.org/articles/what.pdf.
  Author's Description
• Susan Opotow, Janet Gerson, and SarahWoodside. 2005. "From Moral Exclusion to Moral Inclusion: Theory for Teaching Peace." In Theory Into Practice, Vol. 44, No. 4: pages 303-318.
  Author's Description
• Schulz, Markus. 1998. Collective Action Across Borders: Opportunity Structures, Network Capacities, and Communicative Praxis in the Age of Advanced Globalization. Sociological Perspectives; 1998, Vol. 41 Issue 3, p587-616.
  Author's Description
• Kenneth Boulding, Three Faces of Power. Calif.: Sage Publications, 1989.
  Consortium Abstract
• Lindner, Evelin G. "Healing the Cycles of Humiliation: How to Attend to the Emotional Aspects of Unsolvable Conflicts and the Use of Humiliation Entrepreneurship." Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, vol. 8, no. 2 (2002): 125-138.
  Author's Description
• Lindner, E. G. "Humiliation and the Human Condition: Mapping a Minefield." Human Rights Review, 2 (2), 46-63. 2001.
  Author's Description
• Lindner, E. G. "Humiliation in the Flesh: Honour Is 'Face,' Arrogance Is 'Nose Up,' and Humiliation Is 'To Be Put Down.'" Working paper.
  Author's Description
• Hartling, L.M. and T. Luchetta. "Humiliation: Assessing the Impact of Derision, Degradation, and Debasement." Journal of Primary Prevention, Vol. 19, No. 5 (1999): 259-278.
  Author's Description
• Smith, D. "Organisations and Humiliation: Looking Beyond Elias." Organization, Vol. 8, No. 3 (2001): 537-560.
  Author's Description
• Klein, D.C. "The Humiliation Dynamic: An Overview." The Journal of Primary Prevention, 1991.
  Author's Description
• Barrett, Patrick J. "Transcending Humiliation: An Ancient Perspective." The Journal of Primary Prevention, Vol. 12, No. 3 (1992).
  Author's Description
• U. of Minnesota Human Rights Resource Center Curricula, topic guides, fact sheets and featured lessons on human rights.
• Amnesty International--USA Human rights teaching guides, lesson plans, and Urgent Actions geared to students.
• White Ribbon Campaign Lesson plans to explore attitudes/behavior that contribute to men's exclusion of women.
• Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Teacher and student resources on racism, sexism, indigenous, and disabilities rights.
• Humiliation conflict
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• Victimization conflict
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