Victim-Centered Definitions of Torture and Terrorism

Abstract Chapter 1 explains and defends victim-centered moral definitions of torture and terrorism, which are derived from research on, and the testimony of, survivors of torture and terrorism. Put simply, to know what torture and terrorism are, we must first know what it is like to experience torture and terrorism. By looking at the experiences of survivors of “core cases” of torture and terrorism (such as Jean Améry’s account of his torture by the SS during World War II, and accounts of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks), it becomes possible to understand the distinctive harms inflicted by torture and terrorism. Prioritizing the victims’ points of view is particularly important in cases in which victims are members of marginalized groups, where such violence may be widely tolerated by political, social, and legal institutions. Because of such toleration, these forms of violence are unlikely to be publicly recognized (let alone named) as torture or terrorism, even by the victims themselves. This means that relying on legalistic or standard definitions of torture and terrorism can effectively silence or obscure forms of violence that are not readily captured in those definitions.