“We All Suffered!”—The Role of Power in Rhetorical Strategies of Inclusive Victimhood and Its Consequences for Intergroup Relations

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the different meaning and outcomes of inclusive victim consciousness, depending on who is claiming similarities with whom, and which power dynamics are involved. Drawing on perspectives in rhetorical psychology, the authors argue that these inclusive victimhood claims have a rhetorical function and are always expressed with an audience in mind. While this does not preclude authentic identification with other victim groups, there can also be a selective, strategic use of inclusive victim beliefs that does not result in empathy. For example, high power groups’ claims of having suffered similarly to other groups may serve to legitimize their conflict position or violence. The chapter reviews examples that illustrate the different effects of inclusive victim consciousness expressed by members of high-power groups in relation to other high-power or low-power groups, and by members of low-power groups in relation to high- or low-power groups.