A Senior Capstone Experience by Mackenzie Boughey ’24

Submitted to the Departments of Political Science and Sociology

Advised by Dr. Christine Wade and Dr. Nick Garcia

Contributor Biography: Mackenzie Boughey graduated summa cum laude from Washington College in 2024 with her BA in Political Science and Sociology and a minor in Justice, Law and Society. She was the recipient of the Louis L. Goldstein ’35 Award and the Political Science and Sociology senior awards. While a student, Mackenzie was a member of the women’s lacrosse team, College Democrats, and SGA, and served as Student Assistant for the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs. She is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Sigma Alpha, Alpha Kappa Delta, and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies. Mackenzie currently works as a Senior Analyst at OpinionWorks and is pursuing a Master of Public Policy at American University.  

Description: Despite the Troubles’ official ending in 1998, there has been no substantive post-conflict reconciliation in Northern Ireland. Increasing studies have attributed this to competitive victimhood, which is the tendency to perceive one’s own suffering as more legitimate than the suffering of another. Yet, less is understood about how competitive victimhood is expressed in the political sphere when addressing reconciliatory measures. A qualitative narrative analysis is conducted to examine political rhetoric surrounding three crucial interventions aimed at addressing the Troubles’ legacy with a particular focus on competitive victimhood and the construction of Troubles-related victimization and reconciliation. Findings reveal competitive victimhood themes that are consistent with previous literature; however, emerging themes were found to involve imbalances of justice, amnesties, and the perceived costliness of legacy-related interventions.

Read Mackenzie’s SCE below: