Victims and victimhood / Trudy Govier.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Govier, Trudy, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Victims of crimes--Philosophy.

Victims of crimes.

Victims of crimes--Moral and ethical aspects.

Philosophy.

Physical Description:

xiii, 232 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Peterborough, Ontario : Broadview Press, [2015]

Summary:

Who is a victim? Considerations of innocence typically figure in our notions of victimhood, as do judgments about causation, responsibility, and harm. Those identified as victims are sometimes silenced or blamed for their misfortune-responses that are typically mistaken and often damaging. However, other problems arise when we defer too much to victims, being reluctant to criticize their judgments or testimony. Reaching a sensitive and yet critical stand on victims' credibility is a difficult matter. In this book, Trudy Govier carefully examines the concept of victimhood and considers the practical implications of the various attitudes with which we may respond to victims. These issues are explored with reference to a range of complex examples, including child victims of institutional abuse and the famed Rigoberta Menchú controversy. Further topics include the authority of personal experience, restorative justice, restitution, forgiveness, and closure. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Four Attitudes to Victims 1

Chapter 2 Who Is a Victim? 19

Chapter 3 Some Controversies about Victimhood 43

Chapter 4 Suffering, Deference, and Respect 67

Chapter 3 The Testimony of Victims 87

Chapter 6 When Testimony Goes Wrong 107

Chapter 7 Vigilance 125

Chapter 8 The Needs of Victims 143

Chapter 9 Care and Forgiveness 163

Chapter 10 Closure? 185.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-221) and index.

ISBN:

9781554810994

155481099X

OCLC:

889642960