The uses of victimhood as a hegemonic meta-narrative in eastern Europe

Abstract

Narratives of wartime suffering, communist evils, and maltreatment by the 'West' have started featuring prominently in the political discourse across eastern Europe in the past decade and half. Permeating the public sphere, such narratives imply complex victimhood and often gain a hegemonic status. Why have such victimhood narratives become so pervasive? And what has been their purpose across eastern Europe? This interdisciplinary article provides a conceptual and empirical explanation of how hegemonic narratives of victimhood have been used to enhance ontological security and as an instrument of power-seeking political leaders, especially (but not exclusively) right-wing populists. It shows that although the local attachment to memory and history is often portrayed as irrational, victimhood as a narrative has clear benefits regarding national ontological security as the self-understanding of a state and a tool to justify policies. Using concrete examples, the articles identify three main sub-narratives of direct, historical and structural victimhood linked to World War II, communism and the precarious relationship with the 'West', arguing that the combination of historical traumas and the post-1989 transformations explain the pan-regional proliferation of victimhood.

‘Exodus’: The Serb flight from Sarajevo, its legacy, and its role in the political memory of Republika Srpska

“…Promoting the notion of Serbhood as an imagination, the RS leaders have ignored crucial contexts related to Sarajevo's unification, only interjecting and paying attention to contents and commemorative practices that fit their own (Kienzler & Sula‐Raxhimi, 2019). They have taken the moral high ground and deflected the guilt of those who may be directly responsible for it (Barton Hronešová, 2022). These findings further nuance knowledge of the Serb's trauma and suffering during the Bosnian war (Bianchi, 2021; Golubović, 2021; Gordy, 2013; Hronešová, 2022; Jansen, 2003).…”

“…If the RS leaders mentioned this grim event, they presented it only as the collective dilemma of Serb compatriots caused by the ‘dictate of the DPA’ (NIN, 1996). The post‐war difficulties of those who had left Sarajevo and lived in displacement ever since were not addressed; neither was the pain of their loss nor their complex victimhood (Barton Hronešová, 2022; Golubović, 2021). These were not acknowledged or discussed in public.…”

Forum: Theoretical Concepts of Shaping the Memory, edited by Sabina Ferhadbegović and Katerina Králová

“…63 Victimhood has thus become an important component of hegemonic national understandings, collective autobiographies and national identities. 64…”

Strategically Hijacking Victimhood: A Political Communication Strategy in the Discourse of Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump

“…For example, groups that were subjected to human rights violations during wars and conflicts can leverage an often loosely defined victimhood status to achieve redress in contexts where authorities deny them recognition (Barton Hronešová 2020). Foreign policy is often informed by the leveraging of previous suffering to justify present responses-most visibly in the rhetoric coming from Eastern Europe after Russia's invasion of Ukraine (Šitera and Eberle 2023); also informed by suffering are a range of domestic policies targeting groups that are cast as inimical for nationalist purposes (Barton Hronešová 2022;Ejdus 2020;Subotić 2019). It is equally well documented that at the heart of populist appeals is the alleged victimhood of the good "people" at the hands of malicious "elites," which serves as a mobilization strategy.…”