Explores American culture's attitudes toward shame and sexuality

Shame, a powerful emotion, leads individuals to feel vulnerable, victimized, rejected. In Shameless, noted scholar and writer Arlene Stein explores American culture's attitudes toward shame and sexuality.
Some say that we live in a world without shame. But American culture is a curious mix of the shameless and the shamers, a seemingly endless parade of Pamela Andersons and Jerry Falwells strutting their stuff and wagging their fingers. With thoughtful analysis and wit, Shameless analyzes these clashing visions of sexual morality.
While conservatives have brought back sexual shame—by pushing for abstinence-only sex education, limitations on abortion, and prohibitions of gay/lesbian civil rights—progressives hold out for sexual liberalization and a society beyond “the closet.” As these two Americas compete with one another, the future of family life, the right to privacy, and the very meaning of morality hang in the balance.

"A sophisticated and subtle collection of essays. . . . Steins innovative volume stands out. . . . Stein’s book is notable for combining a commitment to qualitative social science methods with an appropriate grasp of its limitations. She is unusually clear-eyed about the shifting politics of knowledge . . . and reminds us that both sides in the culture wars depend on those we entrust to produce knowledge" - Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide

"Shameless is simultaneously rooted in perceptive fieldwork, driven by big ideas, and remarkably free of jargon. . . . Shamelee should inform and stimulate a broad audience." - Sex Roles

"Stein elegantly ties together this contentious and complicated history by examining it through the analytical lens of shame. . . . This is an important contribution, since much literature on sexuality from a social constructionist standpoint has sidestepped an analysis of emotions." - SIGNS: Journal of Women in Culture and Society