Victimes cherchent statut désespérément : le cas des « bébés volés » en Espagne
Abstract
Victims Desperately Seeking Status: The Case of the “Stolen Babies” in Spain
Since 2005, a group of victims has emerged in Spain in connection with what is generically referred to as the “baby theft”. Independently of the fact that the emergence of this “case” must be set in the context of a broader phenomenon – that of the birth and consolidation of a “new victims’ space” in Spain – these victims possess a twofold characteristic: the multiplicity of causes that produce them and the variety of the categories to which they turn in referring to and conceiving of themselves. The relative unity of this victim group does not therefore stem from the fact of their present condition but rather from their effort to find a status – that is, an existence, whether nominal (the fact of being a victim) or legal (the fact of being recognized as such). Faced with this quest for recognition, which implements the tools of citizenship, the frontiers often erected between victims and citizens become porous and even completely disappear.
Since 2005, a group of victims has emerged in Spain in connection with what is generically referred to as the “baby theft”. Independently of the fact that the emergence of this “case” must be set in the context of a broader phenomenon – that of the birth and consolidation of a “new victims’ space” in Spain – these victims possess a twofold characteristic: the multiplicity of causes that produce them and the variety of the categories to which they turn in referring to and conceiving of themselves. The relative unity of this victim group does not therefore stem from the fact of their present condition but rather from their effort to find a status – that is, an existence, whether nominal (the fact of being a victim) or legal (the fact of being recognized as such). Faced with this quest for recognition, which implements the tools of citizenship, the frontiers often erected between victims and citizens become porous and even completely disappear.
En Espagne, depuis 2005, un groupe de victimes émerge autour de ce que l’on désigne de façon générique comme le « vol de bébés ». Indépendamment du fait que l’émergence de ce « cas » doit être analysée dans la perspective d’un phénomène plus large – celui de la naissance et de la consolidation d’un « nouvel espace des victimes » en Espagne –, ces victimes possèdent une double caractéristique : la multiplicité des causes qui les produisent et la variété des catégories auxquelles elles ont recours pour se nommer et se penser. La relative unité de ce groupe de victimes ne provient donc pas de ce qui fait leur condition actuelle, mais de leur travail de recherche d’un statut, d’une existence, que celle-ci soit nominale (être victime) ou juridique (être reconnu comme tel). Face à cette quête de reconnaissance qui met en œuvre les outils de la citoyenneté, les frontières souvent établies entre victimes et citoyens deviennent poreuses, voire s’effacent complètement.
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