“I’m Not that Chained-Up Little Person”1 Four Paragons of Victimhood in Transitional Justice Discourse

Abstract

Despite a flourishing body of transitional justice literature that makes plain the “growth of the cultural icon of the victim,” we know surprisingly little about the differences amongst victims.2 This article introduces four models of victimhood, the ideal(ized), the traumatized, the resilient, and the collective victim, and argues it is these generic descriptions, which homogenize victimized individuals, that impede understanding of the diversity of these victims. The article contends that to confidently bestow the title of “victim-centered” upon its mechanisms, transitional justice must first examine the notions of victim with which it operates.