Victimhood, Agency, and the Mobilisation of Empathy

This chapter focuses on the case study of Northern Ireland to interrogate the intersection between victimhood, victims’ groups as drivers of first-generation transitional justice, and the mobilisation of empathy. The chapter argues that while agency and participation are often presented as exclusively positive attributes, the moral economy of victimhood can compel individuals and groups to convey their suffering in a particular register to make their losses ‘matter’ and to ‘mobilise empathy’. In Northern Ireland, the absence of a formal process of dealing with the past and ongoing contest over the legal definition of a victim or survivor of the conflict has made these dynamics particularly acute. From situating victims’ groups as ‘moral communities’ to exploring how victimhood and demands for transitional justice are expressed in different registers across the two communities, this chapter adds a new lens to the study of victims and victim engagement in transitional justice.