Psychology

Interpreting rights and duties after mass violence

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In our age of human rights, there has been an increased focus not only on the rights of people and collectives harmed through mass atrocities and other injustices, but also on the duty to redress this harm. Building on Passini's (2011) call for an integration of rights and duties through responsibility, I argue that movements in this direction are already underway. This integration follows, for example, from growing recognition of the complexity in victim and perpetrator roles. Another way in which integration of rights and duties in the aftermath of mass violence has occurred is through alternative meanings of ingroup victimization drawn by victim groups throughout the world. Specifically, based on a sense of inclusive victim consciousness, some have expressed and advocated perceived responsibility to ensure rights for other victim groups as well. This phenomenon is an example of the moral inclusion and focus on responsibility that Passini (2011) argues is necessary in our age of human rights. Examples of moral inclusion among victim groups are reviewed and limitations are discussed, as well as conditions that might inhibit or facilitate a sense of moral responsibility to go beyond individual and ingroup rights and protect others from harm and injustice. © The Author(s) 2012 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Publication Title

Culture and Psychology

Publication Date

2012

Volume

18

Issue

1

First Page

133

Last Page

145

ISSN

1354-067X

DOI

10.1177/1354067X11427467

Keywords

collective guilt, duties, human rights violations, inclusive victim consciousness, interethnic solidarity, mass violence, perpetrators, rights, victimhood, victims

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