Introduction to the special issue
| Published date | 01 May 2018 |
| Author | Stephanie Fohring |
| DOI | 10.1177/0269758018755152 |
| Date | 01 May 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Editorial |
Editorial
Introduction to the special
issue: Victim identities and
hierarchies
Stephanie Fohring
Edinburgh Napier University, UK
The discussion of victimhood should not be limited to victimologists, to criminologists or social
scientists, for that matter, as it is a deeply personal yet also cultural phenomenon. According to
Mythen (2007: 466, cited in O’Leary, this issue), ‘acquiring the status of victim involves being
party to a range of interactions and processes, including identification, labelling and recognition’.
To identify as a victim carries both positive and negative consequences for the person or group who
has experienced a crime. Recognition as a victim of crime precedes legal intervention and the
possibility of redress. However , with the label also come numerous social and psychological
burdens as the stereotypical qualities of a victim are less than alluring and include, for example,
weakness, vulnerability, frailty and fear. Goffman (1963: 9) was the first to describe such stereo-
types and the resultant stigma as ‘the situation of the individual who is disqualified from full social
acceptance’. This social construction, combined with the continual politicisation of victimhood
and victim’s rights, has reinforced the dichotomy not only between victim and offender but also
between victims and survivors, and deserving and undeserving victims. Thus, in addition to the
complexities of individual identity and decision making, the social aspects of victimisation further
compound the process and are considered from a number of perspectives throughout this issue.
In her article, Fohring discusses both personal and social motivation to avoid the victim label, an
idea O’Leary expands on in her discussion of claims to victim status based on experiences of
collective identity: how communities experience high profile crimes and either accept or resist a
‘spoiled identity’. Lynch and Joyce further this discussion of the victim identity at the community
or group level, using Northern Ireland as a case study of a community faced with the same
conundrum as individuals: acceptance of the label in order to receive recognition, versus refusal
of the label in order to avoid stigmatisation. Like individual victims, particul arly in societies
experiencing conflict transition, many social groups must compete for recognition and legitimate
inclusion into the category of victim.
Corresponding author:
Stephanie Fohring, Edinburgh Napier University, ENU Sighthill Campus, Sighthill Court, Edinburgh EH11 4BN, UK.
Email: s.fohring@napier.ac.uk
International Review of Victimology
2018, Vol. 24(2) 147–149
ªThe Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/0269758018755152
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