Drizzling sympathy: Ideal victims and flows of sympathy in Swedish courts

By connecting sociological perspectives on sympathy with the concept of ‘ideal victims’, this article examines how forms and informs legal thought practices in relation to victim status Swedish courts. In its broadest sense, can be understood as an understanding care for someone else’s suffering many contexts victimization are densely entangled. However, since ideals objectivity neutrality prevail court, emotional norms narrow is met suspicion. Drawing ethnographic fieldwork conducted courts, I argue that while sympathetic feelings mostly backgrounded, they still a central part court proceedings deliberations. The main findings suggest prosecutors victims’ counsel use ‘sympathy cues’ evoke judges’ concern complainants facilitate their empathic imagination complainant’s situation. finding, judges engage emotion work order not affected by these cues. study also shows encounters who perform playful resistance victimization, actors show more freely accept moments temporary relief from normal interaction court.