The literature on the politics of shame is divided between those who regard acts of shaming as oppressive tools that the powerful employ to silence subordinate groups, and those who see shaming as an effective strategy to expose and deter abuses that cannot be stopped by other means. But this literature pays little attention to public uses and expressions of group-based shame: shame felt by the speaker about the actions and features of their own group and its members. These expressions, however, are often used to denounce political measures one disagrees with and they reveal differences of opinion within groups. Furthermore, we contend, feelings of group-based shame can fuel political action towards change. Since shame is most productive when it preserves the bond between the shamer and the ashamed individual, overlooking expressions of group-based shame threatens to blind us to its most constructive political facets. To redress this gap, this chapter analyses three varieties of group-based shame in public discourse (shame of a singular you, shame of a plural you and shame of us) and their potential to inspire political change.

The death of Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito in 1980 marked the beginning of the end. While Yugoslavia was opening up to Western ideals and popular culture, internally, the conflict of ethnic identity was reaching a boiling point. Chapter 9 examines the effect of these two intersecting phenomena on Yugoslav cultural life. The chapter spotlights Ivana Stefanović’s poetic musical essays and radiophonic works, inspired by her studies at IRCAM and extensive travels around Damascus, Syria, as well as Byzantine chants, in which she vividly captures her impressions of the sounds of the cities. This chapter also documents the spectacular rise and abrupt end of a group of young composers, Veličanstvenih sedam [The Magnificent Seven], the last musical force in Yugoslavia. Their vision of creating art music that crossed over to other styles, thus bridging Yugoslav folk and rock with Western pop, musical theater, and jazz, brought something unexpectedly fresh to the Yugoslav music scene.

The services sector has been the centrepiece of Rwanda’s development strategy since 2000. This chapter describes the evolution of the Rwandan Patriotic Front’s (RPF) goals of transforming its landlocked disadvantages into an opportunity through becoming land-linked. In particular, the goal involves Rwanda becoming a regional hub for transport, tourism, sports and finance. The chapter begins by providing a critical overview of services-based strategies, highlighting their merits and limitations. It then describes the contradictory tensions emerging within Rwanda’s services-based strategy, particularly because the progressive image the RPF attempts to portray is often at odds with domestic realities. The evolution of Rwanda’s tourism strategy is discussed, which focuses on attracting high-end tourists and transforming Kigali into a hub for transport, high-profile events and conferences. The chapter describes how services strategies have evolved in line with Rwanda’s political settlement: at first, providing opportunities to private Rwandan capitalists but then gradually relying on foreign investors and government-affiliated investors. The chapter highlights that Rwanda’s strategy failed to prioritise linkages, which is a result of the elite vulnerability shaping domestic state–business relationships.