Harmful Heroes Workshop
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- VID Oslo, room TBA
- September 21st 2026, 10:00 – 16:00
The media is full of stories of success and almost miraculous turnarounds in the lives of individual ‘heroes:’ the criminal youngster who, despite a long criminal record, became a law-abiding citizen. The drug user who, despite a hard life on the streets, got rid of his addiction. The child in foster care, who, despite a tough start in life, managed. The victim of partner violence who left the abuser and started a new life with (or without) an unabusive, supportive, and kind partner. The rape victim who recovered and healed. The unemployed person who, despite a demanding job market, got a job. Academic, popular scientific and other publications have uncritically reproduced these stories and used the heroic angle of the story in their marketing. Common to all stories is an idea of unfailing trust in the individual and their agency and heroism.
The concept of heroes often invokes images of inspiration, success, and triumph against adversity. However, there is a need to discuss the potentially harmful effects that such narratives can impose, particularly when applied to user representatives and their stories of achievement. We invite researchers, practitioners, and advocates to submit papers for our upcoming workshop on ‘Harmful Heroes,’ which aims to expore the dualities of representation, success, and the implicit risks involved in the celebratory narratives surrounding users in various fields, especially in the context of health- and social work.
The research group HumanHarm – Human Rights and Social Harms invites to a discussion on the complexities of representation, success, and the responsibilities that come with narratives of inspiration and heroism.
The proposed themes include, but are not limited to:
1. The Paradoxes of Success:
• Examining how success stories can sometimes overshadow the diverse experiences of individuals, leading to a narrow view of capability and potential in people in challenging situations.
• The impact of glorifying individual achievement in contrast to systemic barriers.
• Partial storytelling? What does the world want to hear?
2. User Representation and Imaginaries of Authenticity:
• Analyzing the role of user representatives as “heroes” and the expectations placed upon them to embody success, often at the cost of their own narratives.
• Exploring the implications of representative narratives for the broader community.
• Role in educational settings?
3. Inspirational Narratives:
• Investigating the intersection of inspiration and exploitation in for instance disability representation, recovery stories in mental health, addiction, criminal activity, child welfare experiences etc, including the phenomenon of “inspirational porn.”
• Assessing how these narratives can lead to harmful stereotypes, unrealistic expectations, and societal pressure on individuals to perform heroism.
4. Harmful Effects of Hero Worship:
• Understanding the psychological and social implications of labeling individuals as heroes, inspiration, “superkids” etc.
• Exploring how this can lead to e.g. burnout, disillusionment, and a feeling of inadequacy among peers who may not resonate with the heroic narrative.
5. Alternative Narratives:
• Alternative frameworks for representing healing, recovery, growing up, disability etc that do not rely on inspiration or success as their main narrative driver.
• Developing approaches that acknowledge the diverse experiences and voices of individuals in challenging situations without centering them in a hero narrative.
Submission instructions and timeline
Please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words, accompanied by a short bio (max. 100 words) by 15. July 2026. Submissions should be sent in a single PDF document, with “Harmful Heroes” in the subject line, to carola.lingaas@vid.no and aleksandra.bartoszko@vid.no. Please indicate if you prefer to present in a Scandinavian language.
Selected papers may be considered for publication in an edited volume or a journal special issue.
The workshop is in-person only. We have some funds available for participants with limited access to institutional funding. Please indicate in your submission whether you wish to be considered for this support
Important dates
Abstract submission: 15. July 2026 by midnight (Oslo time) Notification of decisions: 1. August 2026 Workshop: 21. September 2026
Research Event
On the day after the workshop, on 22. September, from 16.00-17.00, HumanHarm is organizing a research event at Litteraturhuset in Oslo. This event is in connection with the annual Research Days (Forskningsdagene) by the Norwegian Research Council and is open to the public. This year’s theme is Trust. If you are available, we would like to encourage you to participate in the event.
