ABSTRACT
Victims are seen as of central importance in matters of truth recovery, which is often presumed to be for their benefit. In this chapter, some of the assumptions made about victims and their role in the post-conflict period are examined, the nature and prevalence of political victimhood and the experience and needs of political victims are reconsidered. The chapter critiques the manner in which victims are often stereotyped and cast in the role of ‘moral beacons’. Qualifications such as innocence which are often required in order to attain victim status are examined, and victims’ roles as iconic representations of the suffering of their community and the political appropriation of that suffering for use in propaganda, is explored in the context of post-conflict contests over truth. The manner in which cultures of victimhood can be used to legitimise violence is set out alongside Bouris’ (2007) argument for a re-conceptualisation of victimhood as complex and inclusive. The assumption that truth recovery necessarily assists victims’ healing is questioned and the role of victims as sources of forgiveness is critically examined in the light of victims’ iconic role in representing suffering of their communities. Seen in this light, forgiveness, it is argued, might be seen as betrayal. The effectiveness of reparation as a way to recognise and address victims’ suffering is examined, and finally the often-marginal position of victims within peace processes and the effect on and benefits of truth recovery for victims is explored.
