When sharing becomes shameful: atmospheres of class formation in Namibia

Anthropologists have long shown that asking for food in times of need is morally valued in rural Namibia. Yet among the Damara pastoralists with whom I work, people now increasingly describe feeling shame ( taob ) when they ask for food. In this article, I trace this shift to the affective dynamics of social class formation. Whereas dependence on others was historically affirmed as good, independence has become the salient norm. Under conditions of rising inequality, being seen in need thus easily turns into a source of shame. Sartre's account of the hurtful gaze is a familiar tool for analysing such moments. However, in rural Namibia the lines between ‘haves’ and ‘have‐nots’ remain blurred, and empowering, empathetic gazes continue to unsettle emerging class boundaries. My theorizing points to this duality of the gaze and the way class formation shapes atmospheres in which sharing increasingly becomes shameful.