Heroes and victims: economies of entitlement after violent pasts

Abstract

This article analyses economies of entitlement after violent conflicts and the challenges for post-conflict peacebuilding and democratic transition arising from them. Based on two case studies of post-genocide Rwanda and post-independence Namibia, the study shows that entitlement claims premised on heroism or victimhood are important phenomena after political violence that confront peacebuilding efforts with serious dilemmas. Examining the psychological roots of entitlement and their manifestations in the wake of political violence, this article argues that entitlements targeting only particular groups of victims or heroes challenge democratic principles such as equality and citizenship and, eventually, undermine peace and social justice. The contribution tries to enrich the peacebuilding debate by, first, considering feelings of entitlement as an element of post-conflict dynamics, second, introducing the ‘hero’ as important actor in post-conflict settings, and third, discussing some effects of the rise of victimhood as core category in internationalised post-conflict contexts.