Victims as moral beacons of humanitarianism in post-conflict societies.

Brewer, John D.; Hayes, Bernadette C.; Dudgeon, Katrin; Mueller-Hirth, Natascha; Teeney, Francis; Wijesinghe, Shirley-Lal

Abstract

This paper reports on interview data amongst victims of conflict and organised violence. Despite their victimhood, they evince a level of forgivingness, civility and tolerance that constructs in the very acts of atrocity that portend its demise, a form of humanitarianism which enables victims to be moral beacons in post-conflict societies that otherwise are largely devoid of any a moral or sacred canopy. Data cover victims in Sri Lanka, South Africa and Northern Ireland. The theoretical contribution of the paper is to proffer a view that humanitarianism in societies emerging out of conflict is best understood as a social practice constituted by victims' practices for tolerance and civility. This makes humanitarianism pro-social, having the potential to affect social consciousness and social understandings in post-conflict societies and to assist in the remaking of society after conflict.

Citation

BREWER, J.D., HAYES, B.C., DUDGEON, K., MUELLER-HIRTH, N., TEENEY, F. and WIJESINGHE, S.-L. 2014. Victims as moral beacons of humanitarianism in post-conflict societies. International social science journal [online], 65(215-216), pages 37-47. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12075

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 23, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Feb 10, 2017
• Publication Date: Jun 30, 2014
• Deposit Date: Sep 9, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 9, 2016
• Journal: International social science journal
• Print ISSN: 0020-8701
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-2451
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 65
• Issue: 215-216
• Pages: 37-47
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12075
• Keywords: Victims; Humanitarianism; Northern Ireland; Sri Lanka; South Africa; Post conflict societies
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/1629