New Books in Critical Theory Jie-Hyun Lim, "Victimhood Nationalism: History and Memory in a Global Age" (Columbia UP, 2025)
Feb 21, 2026
Jie-Hyun Lim, distinguished historian of memory studies and founder of the Critical Global Studies Institute, explores how nations craft moral authority by claiming suffering. He traces transformed war victims, transnational uses of Holocaust memory, Yasukuni’s symbolism, and competing narratives of guilt and innocence. The conversation probes reconciliation, colonial legacies, and strategies to counter perpetual victimhood politics.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Victimhood Becomes Sacrifice
- Victimhood nationalism describes a shift from passive victims to sublime sacrifices in national memory.
- Jie-Hyun Lim argues this sublimation reframes innocent deaths as active national sacrifices to legitimize political narratives.
Yasukuni As a Memory Stage
- Yasukuni Shrine exemplifies a memorial site that converts innocent deaths into imperial sacrifices.
- Lim connects this to broader East Asian usages of classical terms for patriotic remembrance.
Holocaust As Global Reference Point
- Holocaust memory functions as a global reference that activists use to make other atrocities legible.
- Lim explains activists often invoke Holocaust parallels to persuade Western audiences unfamiliar with regional histories.
