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‘I’m the Victim Here’: Intrastate Conflict and the Legacy of Political Violence

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The Palgrave Handbook of Criminology and War

Abstract

This chapter explores the impact of political violence on inter- and intracommunity relations and interactions during continuing conflict and distrust in the post-conflict space. The chapter mainly draws on research from the Northern Irish conflict to explore the contested and complex labels such as ‘victim’ and ‘perpetrator’ and delve into the factors involved in fuelling the intercommunal competitive dynamic that accelerates political conflict and impedes reconciliation and peace building. The chapter draws on interviews with victims of violence and purveyors of force to explore how these labels are constructed, construed and employed to gain an advantage for ‘us’ over ‘them’ in intra- and intercommunal competition.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Some estimate that only 60 % of IRA weapons were decommissioned (Belfast Telegraph, 2010).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK

    Neil Ferguson

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  1. Neil Ferguson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Liverpool, UK, LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom

    Ross McGarry

  2. Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Liverpool, UK, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Sandra Walklate

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Ferguson, N. (2016). ‘I’m the Victim Here’: Intrastate Conflict and the Legacy of Political Violence. In: McGarry, R., Walklate, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Criminology and War. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43170-7_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43170-7_9

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-43169-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-43170-7

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