“This groundbreaking book examines how collective memory shapes political power after mass violence, revealing no universal memory narrative guarantees authority. Through field research in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Indonesia, it demonstrates how attributed roles—perpetrator, victim, hero—directly constitute political legitimacy. The author's compelling, timely argument extends beyond these case studies, inviting scholars to critically explore how political actors across various post-conflict societies strategically utilize violent pasts to legitimize present power arrangements.” Andrea Peto, Central European University

Timothy Williams is Junior Professor of Insecurity and Social Order at the Institute for Political Science in the Department of Social Science and Public Affairs at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Germany.

1. Introduction

2. Memoryscapes’ Complex Negotiation of the Past and Present: Mnemonic Role Attributions and Ambivalence

3. Cambodia: From Demonization to Universal Victimhood

4. Rwanda: Ethnic Essentialism and Rwandan Patriotic Front Heroism

5. Indonesia: Ambivalent Silence and Communist Threat Constructions

6. Mnemonic Role Attributions and Ambivalence in Post-Violence Memoryscapes: Comparative Insights

7. Conclusion