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Collective Victimhood as a Form of Adaptation

This chapter posits that responses to collective victimization that are maladaptive at the intergroup level may be adaptive at the intragroup level. Specifically, the endorsement of conspiracy theories could be seen as an adaptive response in societies that were historically frequently victimized and at the receiving end of actual conspiracies. In such contexts, hypervigilance and mistrust may prevent future victimization. To test this role of history and macro influences more generally on collective victimhood and endorsement of conspiracy theories, the authors use data from nationally representative samples in countries that are at the center or periphery of the global world order (United Kingdom and Spain, Ukraine and Poland, respectively). In peripheral countries with a history of collective victimization, perceived collective victimhood was associated with endorsement of conspiracy theories and mistrust of the government. These relationships were not significant in central countries with a history of imperialism and domination.