Legacies of Past and Present Violence

Evidence From Mosul, Iraq

Bibliographic Data

ID10071501
AuthorsSam Whitt (0000-0002-4856-5225, High Point University, High Point, NC, USA), Vera Mironova (Middle East Institute, Washington, DC, USA), Douglas Page (0000-0003-4535-5916, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA, USA)
Year2025
Volume69
Issue9
Pages1628-1656
Publication date2025-01-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Conflict Resolution (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0027 • E-ISSN: 1552-8766
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00220027251315561
OpenAlexW4406710316
LanguageEN
References cited80

Scholars are increasingly drawing attention to the societal consequences of conflict-related violence. What remains unclear is the interplay between short-term and long-term legacies of wartime traumas. We consider the case of Mosul, Iraq, a setting in which inhabitants have experienced wide-ranging victimization during both recent and historical contexts. In a 2022 survey, we inquired across a broad range of self-reported conflict experiences involving personal and kinship-based victimization including physical and sexual violence, property destruction, forced imprisonment, and displacement as a result of ISIS occupation. We also probed for victimization dating back to the Iran-Iraq War. Examining altruism toward other ISIS victims in a dictator game, we find that while ISIS-related victimization increases out-group empathy and reduces in-group bias in altruism, earlier conflict experiences exert independent influence as well. We consider the implications of our findings for conflict research involving multiple layers and sources of trauma and victimization

Ancient history · Criminology · Development economics · Economics · Geography · Iraq war · Political science · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence