Public Shaming

I am delighted to announce the publication of my latest article, “Legal and Ritualological Dynamics of Personalized ‘Pillars of Shame’ in Chinese Social Credit System Construction," featured in the latest issue of The China Review (Vol. 24, No. 3). This work explores the intersection of the Chinese Social Credit System (SCS) with the Confucian ritual legal tradition and the rhetoric of public shaming. It integrates insights from rhetorical studies and philosophy of law to examine how the SCS operates as both a governance-by-data experiment and a framework that aligns with—and diverges from—domestic and transnational constitutional norms. ...

I am excited to share with you a recap of my recent presentation titled “Vulnerability Theory and Digital Intimacy: ‘Pillars of Shame’ in the Age of Big Data.” This thought-provoking session took place at the Vulnerability Theory and Digital Intimacy Workshop, hosted by convened by Professor Martha Albertson Fineman and The Vulnerability and the Human Condition Initiative at Emory University School of Law on March 24, 2023. During the presentation, I delved into the fascinating field of digital governance technologies and their role as modern public shaming rituals. I explored the impact of these technologies on individuals’ vulnerability in the digital age and drew connections to Martha Fineman’s vulnerability theory of law. ...

Upcoming Feb. 6 public lecture: "Social and Moral Engineering in the Age of Big Data: Personalized 'Pillars of Shame' and the Chinese Social Credit System" Hosted by REALC Faculty Spotlight Series, Emory University Format: Online Time: Monday evening, Feb 6, 2023, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (US Eastern Standard Time) Event link https://emory.zoom.us/j/94409772969 For my upcoming Feb. 6 public lecture hosted by Emory REALC Faculty Spotlight Series, I will be discussing the legal and rhetorical dynamics of public shaming policy experiments in China, as a part of their ongoing Social Credit System project. The construction of the Chinese Social Credit System (SCS) represents one of the most ambitious social engineering projects in post-Mao China. It is also arguably the most significant governance-by-data experiment thus far the 21st century. This lecture explores the ways in which the SCS project was prompted by a ritual impulse to inculcate Chinese societal moral character in the big data age. ...