Description
Book SynopsisGovernment wrongdoing or negligence harms people worldwide, but not all victims are equally effective at obtaining redress. In Accidental Activists, Celeste L. Arrington examines the interactive dynamics of the politics of redress to understand why not. Relatively powerless groups like redress claimants depend on support from political elites, active groups in society, the media, experts, lawyers, and the interested public to capture democratic policymakers'' attention and sway their decisions. Focusing on when and how such third-party support matters, Arrington finds that elite allies may raise awareness about the victims' cause or sponsor special legislation, but their activities also tend to deter the mobilization of fellow claimants and public sympathy. By contrast, claimants who gain elite allies only after the difficult and potentially risky process of mobilizing societal support tend to achieve more redress, which can include official inquiries, apologies, compensation
Trade Review
This study is an important addition to research on social movements, particularly given the limited amount of work in English about social movements in Japan and Korea. The book is also a model for how to produce significant comparative qualitative research...
* Social Science Japan Journal *
Anthropologists, political scientists, and historians, indeed any political activist or scholar interested in popular politics, will benefit from the insights presented.
* PoLAR *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Victimhood and Government Accountability
1. Explaining Redress Outcomes
2. Constructing Victimhood and Villainy in Japan and Korea
3. Leprosy Survivors' Rights
4. The Politics of Hepatitis C-Tainted Blood Products
5. The North Korean Abductions and Abductee Families’ Activism
Conclusion: The Politics of Redress
