Historian Warns of Growing ‘Victimhood Nationalism’ Across Nations

Lim Jie-hyun’s recent publication offers a rare Korean-origin theory on “victimhood nationalism,” defining it as a narrative that grants moral and political advantage by recasting a nation’s past. Drawing on examples from Poland, Germany, Israel, Korea and Japan, he shows how historical facts are either sanitized or amplified to serve contemporary nationalist aims. The book highlights how the Holocaust has become a template that other nations invoke to elevate their own suffering, often at the expense of acknowledging the plight of actual victims such as wartime sex slaves or ethnic minorities.

Lim also traces the evolution of this discourse in post-war Germany and Japan, where collective memories of expulsion or atomic bombings are used to construct a self-image of innocence. He warns that such ahistorical narratives can fuel renewed militarism, citing recent rhetoric from leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin. Ultimately, the work calls on the Left to guard the universal meaning of “Never again” against its co-option by nationalist victimhood claims.