Abstract
This essay explores the notions of vergüenza (shame) in two books about Maya law in postwar Guatemala. In contrast to a common view of shame, the essay shows that the books portray vergüenza not only as a negative feeling that people get when they violate the moral order; they also portray it as a positive character trait that all individuals in a community should ‘have’ and can also ‘lose.’ The essay argues that this way of seeing shame allows us to understand better the use of xik’a’y, that is, the practice of publicly lashing wrongdoers advocated by some indigenous communities in Guatemala.
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