Who is when and why considered a victim – and what are the effects of these attributions?
Victims of war and violence are omnipresent in the media, whether as images of mutilated soldiers, of terri_ed children or suffering civilians. But the image of the victim as seen in present days is new. Historian Svenja Goltermann describes what has evolved since the 18th century: Losses were counted, the dead identi_ed, the war supposed to be humanised, war-disabled provided for, survivors and dependents compensated. And so over time it was de_ned, who was considered a victim, right up to the discovery of the trauma as an emotional scar. However, victim recognition remains a question of hierarchy and power – and therefore an eminent political problem.
• An important contribution to the current debate on the victim within the context of terror and war
