A Critical and Theoretical Re-imagining of ‘Victimhood Nationalism’: The Case of National Victimhood of the Baltic Region
There are many arguments to support the idea that the Baltic nations (and other “victimized” areas) adhere to ‘victimhood nationalism’, a form of nationalism that explains the region’s recognition of its history and the related problems. Since the start of the 21st century, memory and area studies e...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sciendo
2019-12-01
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| Series: | Baltic Journal of European studies |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/bjes-2019-0043 |
| _version_ | 1818335588686757888 |
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| author | Okawara Kentaro |
| author_facet | Okawara Kentaro |
| author_sort | Okawara Kentaro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There are many arguments to support the idea that the Baltic nations (and other “victimized” areas) adhere to ‘victimhood nationalism’, a form of nationalism that explains the region’s recognition of its history and the related problems. Since the start of the 21st century, memory and area studies experts have used the concept of ‘victimhood nationalism’. However, the framework of victimhood nationalism is critically flawed. Its original conceptual architecture is weak and its effectiveness as an explanatory variable requires critical examination. This paper presents a theoretical examination of victimhood nationalism from the perspective of political and social historiology. Further, the paper criticizes the concept from the perspective of the empirical area studies of the Baltic region. First, it argues that the killing or damaging of one community by another does not automatically transform into a nationalism of victimhood. Unless it has been established that one community was the ‘victim’ and the other the perpetrator of the crime, these events will not be remembered as the basis of victimhood nationalism. Second, the effectiveness of this concept is criticized from two perspectives: “tangle” as an explanatory variable and its doctrinal history. It is tautological to claim that victimhood nationalism explains political issues, as was already being implied in the early twentieth-century collective memory studies. In conclusion, the assumption of victimhood is a preliminary necessity to a community claiming victimhood nationalism. Victimhood nationalism is not an explanatory, but an explained, variable. Therefore, the concept should be renamed otherwise. The alternative framework of collective memory studies framework of “victimhood” is needed. This research argues that Baltic area studies, particularly regarding history recognition, should be phenomenologically reconsidered to reimagine the framework of “victimhood”. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T14:25:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5bf752fda8524d069f36230da4954089 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2228-0596 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T14:25:49Z |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Baltic Journal of European studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-5bf752fda8524d069f36230da49540892022-12-21T23:41:56ZengSciendoBaltic Journal of European studies2228-05962019-12-019420621710.1515/bjes-2019-0043bjes-2019-0043A Critical and Theoretical Re-imagining of ‘Victimhood Nationalism’: The Case of National Victimhood of the Baltic RegionOkawara Kentaro0The School of Media and Governance, Keio University, 5322, Endoh, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, JapanThere are many arguments to support the idea that the Baltic nations (and other “victimized” areas) adhere to ‘victimhood nationalism’, a form of nationalism that explains the region’s recognition of its history and the related problems. Since the start of the 21st century, memory and area studies experts have used the concept of ‘victimhood nationalism’. However, the framework of victimhood nationalism is critically flawed. Its original conceptual architecture is weak and its effectiveness as an explanatory variable requires critical examination. This paper presents a theoretical examination of victimhood nationalism from the perspective of political and social historiology. Further, the paper criticizes the concept from the perspective of the empirical area studies of the Baltic region. First, it argues that the killing or damaging of one community by another does not automatically transform into a nationalism of victimhood. Unless it has been established that one community was the ‘victim’ and the other the perpetrator of the crime, these events will not be remembered as the basis of victimhood nationalism. Second, the effectiveness of this concept is criticized from two perspectives: “tangle” as an explanatory variable and its doctrinal history. It is tautological to claim that victimhood nationalism explains political issues, as was already being implied in the early twentieth-century collective memory studies. In conclusion, the assumption of victimhood is a preliminary necessity to a community claiming victimhood nationalism. Victimhood nationalism is not an explanatory, but an explained, variable. Therefore, the concept should be renamed otherwise. The alternative framework of collective memory studies framework of “victimhood” is needed. This research argues that Baltic area studies, particularly regarding history recognition, should be phenomenologically reconsidered to reimagine the framework of “victimhood”.https://doi.org/10.1515/bjes-2019-0043historical recognitionhistorical sociologymemory studiespost-soviet studiesvictimhood nationalism |
| spellingShingle | Okawara Kentaro A Critical and Theoretical Re-imagining of ‘Victimhood Nationalism’: The Case of National Victimhood of the Baltic Region Baltic Journal of European studies historical recognition historical sociology memory studies post-soviet studies victimhood nationalism |
| title | A Critical and Theoretical Re-imagining of ‘Victimhood Nationalism’: The Case of National Victimhood of the Baltic Region |
| title_full | A Critical and Theoretical Re-imagining of ‘Victimhood Nationalism’: The Case of National Victimhood of the Baltic Region |
| title_fullStr | A Critical and Theoretical Re-imagining of ‘Victimhood Nationalism’: The Case of National Victimhood of the Baltic Region |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Critical and Theoretical Re-imagining of ‘Victimhood Nationalism’: The Case of National Victimhood of the Baltic Region |
| title_short | A Critical and Theoretical Re-imagining of ‘Victimhood Nationalism’: The Case of National Victimhood of the Baltic Region |
| title_sort | critical and theoretical re imagining of victimhood nationalism the case of national victimhood of the baltic region |
| topic | historical recognition historical sociology memory studies post-soviet studies victimhood nationalism |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/bjes-2019-0043 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT okawarakentaro acriticalandtheoreticalreimaginingofvictimhoodnationalismthecaseofnationalvictimhoodofthebalticregion AT okawarakentaro criticalandtheoreticalreimaginingofvictimhoodnationalismthecaseofnationalvictimhoodofthebalticregion |