Author Description

Victims Do Not Merely Exist; They Are Also Made, Not Only Through Acts Of Violence During War, But Also Through Acts Of Bureaucratic Affirmation During The-time-of-not-war-not-peace. In That Spirit, I Started Turning My Attention To How The Agencies, Professionals, And Documents Of The Colombian State And Its Transitional Justice Apparatus Shape The Politics Of Victimhood. I Call This Constellation Of Agencies, Professionals, Documents, And Encounters Bureaucracies Of Victimhood Because The Category Of 'victim' Defines Not Only The People Who Vie For Recognition As Such, But Also The Professional Ecosystem That Attends To Them. Whole Floors Of Bureaucratic Buildings In Colombia Were Named Victims And Professionals Described Themselves As Working On The Victims' Team. Victims Was The Word Written Onto Business Cards, Printed Onto High-visibility Vests, And Featuring On Calendars, Bookmarks, Notebooks, And T-shirts. Victimhood, More Than The Broader Frame Of Transitional Justice, Defined The Day-to-day Work Of The Bureaucratic Encounters I Studied.