On the Possibilities, Construction, and Functions of Trauma Narratives

Abstract

Abstract: Trauma narratives are made possible by the "traces" left by traumatic events. These narratives are not only therapeutic, but can also provide an access to historical reality. In recent years, critics begin to switch their attention from individual traumas to collective traumas. According to them, collective traumas not only affect people's identification with the community, but also play important roles in the formation, maintenance, and consolidation of the community. Due to the shaping influence of collective traumas, different forms of power are woven into the representation of trauma, making the representation of trauma a product of cultural construction. In the process, the traumas witnessed by "others" have now attracted the attention of critics, thus making the critique of colonialism, patriarchy, war, prejudices, and unjust social mechanisms an important task of trauma study which also demonstrates the ethical dimension of trauma study.

Key words: trauma narratives, representation, construction, the Other, ethics

CLC Number:

He Weihua. On the Possibilities, Construction, and Functions of Trauma Narratives[J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art.

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