Members of victimized groups can still accept collective guilt for in-group harms.

Evidence

However, a few studies suggest that people sometimes do acknowledge the reality of in-group crimes and experience collective guilt, despite their group’s victimization. Roccas, Klar, and Liviatan (2006) showed that even among highly identified group members, in the mid of intergroup violence, some people accept collective guilt and condemn the in-group’s atrocities. Macˇek’s (2009) ethnographic study in Sarajevo during the siege showed that although a nationalistic rationale explaining and legitimizing violence dominated public spaces, many people, especially in private, tended to condemn violence, even violence committed by their ethnic group members. Mazziotta et al. (2014), in a field experiment in postconflict Liberia, demonstrated that people can simultaneously remember the in-group’s victimization and the harm that the in-group members inflicted upon ”others” and that such a broadened perspective on the in-group’s role in the conflict is related to positive intergroup outcomes. Thus, these studies suggest that collective victimization might not be an obstacle for collective guilt acceptance. — Sandra Penic, Guy Elcheroth, and Dario Spini, When Is Collective Exposure to War…, 15

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in how directly-experienced conflict exposure shapes collective guilt acceptance here in the Balkans context. — connects to: Guilt rejection is not an unavoidable reaction to collective victimization. — Sandra Penic, Guy Elcheroth, and Dario Spini, When Is Collective Exposure to War…, 151; Collective victimization typically suppresses acceptance of collective guilt — Sandra Penic, Guy Elcheroth, and Dario Spini, When Is Collective Exposure to War…, 8; People are capable of feeling collective guilt for their groups’ wrongs — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 372 (+6 more)
• CANDY: The Sarajevo siege detail — nationalistic violence-legitimizing rhetoric dominating public space while people privately condemn their own group’s violence — is a striking anecdote.

Broader Connections

• Collective victimization typically suppresses acceptance of collective guilt #contradicts (0.88) — Sandra Penic, Guy Elcheroth, and Dario Spini, When Is Collective Exposure to War…, 8
• Guilt rejection is not an unavoidable reaction to collective victimization. #corroborates (0.85) — Sandra Penic, Guy Elcheroth, and Dario Spini, When Is Collective Exposure to War…, 151
• Reminders of past victimization suppress a group’s collective guilt for its own current harmdoing. #contradicts (0.85) — Johanna Ray Vollhardt and Michelle Sinayobye Twali, Emotion-Based Reconciliation Requires…, 44
• People are capable of feeling collective guilt for their groups’ wrongs #corroborates (0.82) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 372
• The ingroup’s own suffering suppresses guilt even when it sees itself as responsible #contradicts (0.80) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 2145
• Experiencing symmetric intergroup violence predicts greater acceptance of one’s group’s collective guilt. #exemplifies (0.80) — Sandra Penic, Guy Elcheroth, and Dario Spini, When Is Collective Exposure to War…, 37
• Heavier regional war victimization raises acceptance of collective guilt. #exemplifies (0.75) — Sandra Penic, Guy Elcheroth, and Dario Spini, When Is Collective Exposure to War…, 109
• Communal war exposure, not personal victimization, drives collective guilt acceptance #exemplifies (0.75) — Sandra Penic, Guy Elcheroth, and Dario Spini, When Is Collective Exposure to War…, 2
• Reminders of a group’s own victimization history increase guilt assigned to others #complicates (0.72) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 2145