"Mobilizing Shame"

What would it mean to come to terms with the fact that there are things which happen in front of cameras that are not simply true or false, not simply representations and references, but rather opportunities, events, performances, things that are done and done for the camera, which come into being in a space beyond truth and falsity that is created in view of mediation and transmission? Thomas Keenan responds to these questions by focusing on what, within human rights activism and discourse, has come to be known as ‘‘the mobilization of shame.’’ In the age of the generalized photo opportunity—whether the suicide bomber’s videotape, made-for-television ethnic cleansing, or embedded reporters and videophones—what role can publicity, the exposé, and shame (still) play?