Carolyn J. Dean
On her book Aversion and Erasure: The Fate of the Victim after the Holocaust
Cover Interview of February 02, 2011
sovereignty /
philosophy /
media studies /
violence /
polemics /
wwii /
war /
political theory /
holocaust /
victimhood /
Editor’s note
Originally, this interview ran on the Rorotoko cover page under the headline
“How attitudes toward victims have been shaped historically.”
We highlighted two quotes.
On the first page:
“A focus on victims helps us to discuss things that are uncomfortable and yet central to our self-image: how do we really feel about those who suffer? Do they always evoke our sympathy? Why or why not?”
On the second:
“Fragile, powerless, and helpless victims make us uncomfortable, evoke complicated responses in us, and make it hard for us to empathize with the humiliation they underwent.”