Historical events re-presented as genocide can reshape victim and perpetrator identity threats

Evidence

Building on this integration, we argue that the transformation in the representation of historical victim groups has given rise to new identity threats and associated needs. The case of the residential school system in Canada illustrates this point. It is unlikely that most White Canadians experienced a threat to their ingroup’s moral identity when, initially, the justification for this system was portrayed as legitimate—namely, as an effort to help First Nation children assimilate into Canadian society. However, this changed as the extent of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse in these schools became widely known, and the systematic destruction of the Indigenous way of life was characterized as a form of cultural genocide. For Indigenous Canadians, gaining categorical respect, such that they were no longer excluded from the scope of justice, set the stage for concerns about contingent respect ( Janoff-Bulman & Werther 2008), which focuses on respect based on status, standing, and influence and would enable them to have a stronger voice within Canadian society. — Nurit Shnabel and Johannes Ullrich, Identity Needs in Intergroup Relations, 60

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Directly supports the asymmetry claim in the existing synthesis: the shift from legitimate framing to cultural-genocide framing triggers perpetrators’ moral-identity threat at the moment victims gain categorical respect and begin seeking contingent respect — illustrating how victim/perpetrator needs diverge after identity-related re-presentation.
• DEFINE: Introduces the categorical versus contingent respect distinction (Janoff-Bulman & Werther 2008) — useful terminology for the reconciliation synthesis.
• XREF: connects to: Historical victimhood narratives can be mobilized to incite new genocides — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 282; Memory of past victimization is weaponized to legitimize new genocides — Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust, 666; Labels like ‘genocide’ actively shape perceptions and memory of violent events — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 281 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Memory of genocide can teach victims to become future victimizers. #expands (0.80) — Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust, 670
• Historical victimhood narratives can be mobilized to incite new genocides #expands (0.78) — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 282
• Memory of past victimization is weaponized to legitimize new genocides #expands (0.76) — Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust, 666
• Naming an event genocide is itself a political act that shapes memory #expands (0.75)
• Labels like ‘genocide’ actively shape perceptions and memory of violent events #expands (0.74) — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 281
• Discursive battles over genocide labels shape violence itself, not just its description #expands (0.73) — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 289