Journal of Social Issues

Vollhardt, Johanna Ray; Bilewicz, Michal

doi: 10.1111/josi.12000pmid: N/A

Interest in the aftermath of genocide and mass violence has increased in the last few years, and some researchers in various subdisciplines of psychology have begun to address this urgent social issue. Genocide and mass violence continue to influence intergroup relations, conflicts, and policy attitudes. Nevertheless, these topics are still understudied. We introduce this issue by providing a brief overview of the scarce psychological research on the aftermath of genocide among members of former victim, perpetrator, and bystander groups. Although this distinction is too simplistic to explain individual behavior during genocide and its aftermath, we hold on to it as a framework for organizing existing scholarship, and because of the ongoing relevance of these social representations in discourse on this topic. The introduction concludes with an overview of the issue and its organization, including a brief summary of each article.

Bilali, Rezarta

doi: 10.1111/josi.12001pmid: N/A

This article sheds light on the nature of the Turkish denial of Armenian mass killings. A survey study investigates Turkish students’ construals (i.e., attributions of responsibility and perceived severity of harm) of Turkish massacres of Armenians at the beginning of the 20th century. The results demonstrated a high correspondence between participants’ individual construals and the Turkish official narrative of the events. Structural equation modeling indicated that in‐group glorification, perceived in‐group threat, and positive attitudes toward war predicted less acknowledgment of in‐group responsibility, which in turn predicted less support for reparations of the harm inflicted on Armenians. The study highlights the influence of government‐sponsored national self‐images in the production and endorsement of legitimizing narratives of the in‐group's violence. The findings call for research that examines the combined influence of psychological and societal mechanisms on people's beliefs about in‐group actions.

Leach, Colin Wayne; Zeineddine, Fouad Bou; Čehajić‐Clancy, Sabina

doi: 10.1111/josi.12002pmid: N/A

Partly in response to political leaders’ public expressions of self‐criticism for past generations’ genocide or other mass violence, psychologists have suggested that individuals who are psychologically connected to perpetrators may view themselves as sharing some responsibility. Such broadened self‐perception should enable self‐criticism for past failures just as it enables self‐congratulation for past triumphs. We review studies of self‐criticism regarding European colonization (of Africa, the Americas, Australia, and Indonesia) and 20th century genocide (in Bosnia, Germany, Norway, and Rwanda). Self‐criticism—feelings of guilt, shame, and responsibility; wanting reparation—tended to be low. Self‐criticism appeared to be lowest among nonstudent samples, those allowed to explicitly disagree with self‐criticism, and those asked about more recent violence. Theoretical and practical implications of these patterns are discussed.

Kofta, Miroslaw; Slawuta, Patrycja

doi: 10.1111/josi.12003pmid: N/A

This paper addresses the role of collective memory of post‐Holocaust crimes in contemporary Polish−Jewish relations. We examined how reminding Polish participants of ingroup atrocities affects constructive as well as destructive attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the Jewish victim group. We address the question of how experimentally induced feelings of cultural closeness between the outgroup and the ingroup modify the effects of these reminders on intergroup relations. Our two experiments suggest that perceived sharing of culture is a crucial factor in dealing constructively with the “problematic past” in intergroup relations. In the baseline condition (where cultural closeness of Jews and Poles was not made salient), reminders of ingroup atrocities activated group‐defensive strategies, resulting in more negative intergroup attitudes and dehumanization of Jews. In stark contrast, in the “culturally close” condition (where feelings of shared culture were induced), reminders of ingroup atrocities actually resulted in more positive intergroup attitudes and humanization of Jews.

Imhoff, Roland; Wohl, Michael J. A.; Erb, Hans‐Peter

doi: 10.1111/josi.12004pmid: N/A

In two experimental studies, we examined how the ongoing negative consequences for victims of genocides committed by Germans influence the acceptance of collective guilt in young Germans living today. Experiment 1 showed that collective guilt is undermined when the genocide against the Herero people in Namibia is framed as having no impact on contemporary tribe members. The downstream consequence was reduced reparatory intentions. Extending these results, Experiment 2 replicated these findings in the context of Nazi crimes against Jews. In addition, we manipulated to what degree the compliance with the Holocaust was perceived as intentional, a widely debated issue in Holocaust studies. In line with predictions derived from attribution theory, collective guilt and reparatory intentions were particularly prevalent when the Holocaust was explained as the result of deliberate intentions of the ingroup. Implications for ingroup responses to historical harmdoing are discussed.

Kaplan, Suzanne

doi: 10.1111/josi.12005pmid: N/A

This article reports findings from an interview study of orphans who were street children in Rwanda after the genocide in 1994. During two study visits in Rwanda in 2003 and 2004, in‐depth videotaped interviews, follow‐up interviews, and observations were carried out. Specifically, this article addresses how 10 teenage boys dealt with their memories and affects. The affect regulation of these Rwandan child survivors is elaborated and explained in a theoretical model referred to as the “affect propeller”. This model emerged in previous studies of life histories of Holocaust child survivors, using grounded theory, and has been further developed based on the findings from these follow‐up studies of Rwandan teenagers. One key finding that is described is the theme of retraumatization and revenge fantasies, which are obstacles in efforts toward resilience, as well as counterforces that facilitate a positive development in the aftermath of the genocide.

Anne Pearlman, Laurie

doi: 10.1111/josi.12006pmid: N/A

Recovery from the profound negative psychological and spiritual effects of genocide is essential for individuals to live fulfilling lives, engage in reconciliation, and prevent future violence. This article discusses community approaches to trauma recovery that focus on individuals within their social context. It briefly identifies common psychological problems that follow genocide. It then presents constructivist self development theory (CSDT) as a foundation for understanding these effects and the RICH (Respect, Information, Connection, and Hope) framework, based in CSDT, for designing and assessing the effects of post‐genocide psychosocial interventions. The article reviews three approaches to collective recovery: a multifamily group approach, a psychoeducational program focused on youth, and a public education program aimed to promote trauma recovery and prevent future violence. The RICH framework is applied to each approach.

Klar, Yechiel; Schori‐Eyal, Noa; Klar, Yonat

doi: 10.1111/josi.12007pmid: N/A

For the vast majority of contemporary Israelis, the Holocaust is an acquired memory. However, over the years its presence has not diminished but rather is on the rise. We describe how perceptions of the Holocaust have changed from “what Israeliness is not” in the 1940s and 1950s to a core element in Israeli identity. Inspired by Bauer, we present four different and sometimes incompatible voices related to the Holocaust that greatly affect the Israeli society. They are: Never be a passive victim; never forsake your brothers; never be passive bystander; and never be a perpetrator. Experimental evidence related to these voices is also described.

Vollhardt, Johanna Ray

doi: 10.1111/josi.12008pmid: N/A

This article examines the consequences of different representations of the Holocaust for intergroup relations, focusing on the role of acknowledgment of different groups’ fate that is inherent in these construals. Holocaust representations have become increasingly universal. Research on recategorization suggests prosocial outcomes of such superordinate representations. However, among minority groups, acknowledging both superordinate and subgroup identities may be crucial in order to prevent backlash. An experimental study among Jewish and non‐Jewish participants (N = 163) was conducted to test these ideas. As hypothesized, prosocial responses to outgroup victims of collective violence and acknowledgment of their suffering increased among Jewish participants when both a superordinate categorization of the Holocaust and subgroup (Jewish) fate were presented, compared to when only one of these categorizations were used. Conversely, different categorizations did not affect outcomes among the control group. Practical implications for intergroup relations and memorialization in the aftermath of genocide are discussed.

Bilewicz, Michal; Jaworska, Manana

doi: 10.1111/josi.12009pmid: N/A

Postwar Polish−Jewish relations are heavily affected by divergent narratives about the Holocaust. Debates about the role of Poles as passive bystanders or perpetrators during the Holocaust have deeply influenced mutual perceptions of Poles and Jews. Previous research has shown that historical issues raised during Polish−Jewish encounters inhibit positive consequences of intergroup contact, mostly due to frustrated emotional needs related to past genocide. The aim of the present intervention was to reconcile young Poles and Israelis by presenting narratives that could change stereotypical thinking about the past. Our results indicate that the narratives of historical rescuers of Jews during WWII allowed overcoming the negative impact of the past on intergroup contact by fulfilling frustrated needs for acceptance among Polish participants. The article discusses the potential role of the heroic helpers’ narrative for reconciliation after mass violence, as it may prevent entitative categorizations of groups as victims, perpetrators, and bystanders.