Dystopias of InfamyInsults, scorn, and verbal abusefrequently deployed to affirm the social identity of the insulterare destined to fail when that language is appropriated and embraced by the maligned group. In such circumstances, slander may instead empower and reinforce the collective identity of those perceived to be a threat to an idealized society. In this innovative study, Irigoyen Garcia examines how the discourse and practices of insult and infamy shaped the