Victimhood NationalismJie-Hyun LimLabel: Columbia University PressDescription: Nationalism today depends on the perception of victimhood. The historical memory of past suffering endows nationalist movements with political legitimacy and a sense of moral superiority. Koreans recall Japanese colonial atrocities while Japan commemorates the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Israel sanctifies the Holocaust and Poland trumpets the Nazi and Soviet occupations. Even Germany and Russia perpetrators of historical crimes today cast themselves as victims by pointing to national suffering.In this theoretically sophisticated and empirically rich book Jie-Hyun Lim offers a new way to understand nationalism and its political instrumentalization of suffering developing the concept of “victimhood nationalism and exploring it in a range of global settings. He examines relations among Poland Germany Israel Korea and Japan focusing on how memories of colonialism the Holocaust and Stalinist terror have converged and intertwined in transnational spaces. With an emphasis on memory formation Lim scrutinizes how perpetrators in Germany and Japan transformed themselves into victims as well as how nationalists in Poland Korea and Israel portray themselves as hereditary victims in order to rebut external criticism. He considers the construction of nations as victims and perpetrators tracing the interaction of history and memory. Ultimately the book contends challenging victimhood nationalism is necessary to overcome the endless competition over national suffering and instead promote reconciliation mutual understanding and transnational solidarity.
"This product would be ideal for individuals interested in studying and learning about the complex and nuanced topic of victimhood nationalism and its impact on South Korea."
