Stigma is a corrosive social force by which individuals and communities throughout history have
been systematically dehumanised scapegoated and oppressed. From the literal stigmatizing
(tattooing) of criminals in ancient Greece to modern day discrimination against Muslims
refugees and the 'undeserving poor' stigma has long been a means of securing the interests of
powerful elites. In this radical reconceptualisation Tyler precisely and passionately outlines
the political function of stigma as an instrument of state coercion. Through an original social
and economic reframing of the history of stigma Tyler reveals stigma as a political practice
illuminating previously forgotten histories of resistance against stigmatization boldly
arguing that these histories provide invaluable insights for understanding the rise of
authoritarian forms of government today.
