Memorializing the Victims of Terrorism

Introduction

In recent years, there has been a trend in many countries towards giving more attention to understanding the specific needs of victims of crime. A particular focus may be given to victims’ justice related needs, as well as their social and health needs of victims. Also, in many Western nations, there is a general understanding that the global reality of terrorist attacks can have an impact domestically by victimizing citizens through attacks that take place abroad or at home. One area of research that might help us better address the needs of victims of terrorism is to examine the current ways victims have been memorialized. This report is focused on outlining the various issues associated with memorializing the victims of terrorism. Based on a scan of Canadian and international academic literature on memorializing the victims of terrorism, this report presents a typology of the ways in which victims of terrorism have been memorialized, as well as some possible implications and considerations stemming from the research.

The first section of this report examines the definition of terrorism and the Canadian context of terrorism. In the section that follows, "memorialization" as a concept is examined. Next, this review discusses the various ways victims of terrorism have been and may be memorialized. The forms of memorialization addressed are physical memorials, government responses and statements, groups and organizations, days of remembrance and spontaneous memorials. Finally, this report concludes with a discussion of some relevant research and policy considerations.

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to examine the academic literature regarding the memorialization of victims of terrorist and terrorist-type events. A secondary objective is to examine the literature that addresses the ways Canadian victims of terrorism have been memorialized.

Canadians have recently been reminded of the devastating impact that terrorism can have in the life of our nation.  Both the inquiry into the Air India attack (Air India Report 2008) and the annual remembrance of the September 11th World Trade Centre attacks in the United States raise many issues of national concern; both issues are of public concern and have profoundly personal impacts on citizens.  Central to the rhetoric surrounding terrorism, and in healing from its aftermath, are the victims of terrorism.  This research has been designed to provide information to consider when thinking about responding to the needs of victims of terrorism by addressing the following research questions:

Method

This project is the result of a literature review that took place during the summer of 2008. The research was undertaken through the standard practices associated with composing a literature review. Research articles were drawn primarily from academic journals acquired through online academic databases and Internet searches. Given the limited Canadian scholarship documenting the ways victims of terrorism have been memorialized, media sources were also utilized to obtain information. Overall, more than fifty academic sources were consulted for this project. A significant proportion of this literature was drawn from social science journals; the majority of which were based on cultural studies and anthropological research. Other journal areas included social science research on victims’ issues, as well as some legal scholarship regarding terrorism.

The first component of this project was a general reading of the sources followed by a critical reading of specific components of the literature, especially those that directly addressed memorializing the victims of terrorism. However, given that most of the sources did not or only vaguely addressed the topic of memorializing the victims of terrorism, the scope of the research explored in this report was broadened to incorporate other similar research areas that may be of relevance to the topic of memorializing victims of terrorism. These areas of research included but were not limited to war remembrance memorials, extreme instances of violence, and terrorist-type events.