Synopses & Reviews
Despite a stated commitment to cross-cultural solidarity, trauma theory - an area of cultural investigation that emerged out of the 'ethical turn' affecting the humanities in the 1990s - is marked by a Eurocentric, monocultural bias. This book takes issue with the tendency of the founding texts of the field to marginalize or ignore traumatic experiences of non-Western or minority groups, and to take for granted the universal validity of definitions of trauma and recovery that have developed out of the history of Western modernity. Moreover, it questions the assumption that a modernist aesthetic of fragmentation and aporia is uniquely suited to the task of bearing witness to trauma, and criticizes the neglect of the connections between metropolitan and non-Western or minority traumas. Combining theoretical argument with literary case studies, Postcolonial Witnessing contends that the suffering engendered by colonialism needs to be acknowledged more fully, on its own terms, in its own terms, and in relation to traumatic First World histories if trauma theory is to have any hope of redeeming its promise of cross-cultural ethical engagement.
Review
One of Times Higher Education's Books of 2013
"Bridging the gap between Jewish and postcolonial studies, Stef Craps's new postcolonial reading of the work of Sindiwe Magona, David Dabydeen, Fred D'Aguair, Caryl Phillips and Anita Desai covers exciting new ground in trauma theory. Challenging the hegemonic framings of the dominant 'trauma aesthetic,' Craps broadens our understanding of traumatic experience by examining literary works that depict life under South African apartheid, the Middle Passage, the links between histories of black and Jewish suffering and those between the Holocaust and colonialism. This is a fine study and a welcome addition to the field of trauma studies." - Dr Victoria Burrows, English Department, The University of Sydney, Australia
"In this beautifully and clearly written book, Stef Craps leads trauma theory away from its Eurocentric past and towards a decolonized future. Arguing that the traumas of non-Western populations should be acknowledged for their own sake and on their own terms, Postcolonial Witnessing demonstrates through its exemplary discussion of literary texts including the works of Anita Desai and Caryl Phillips, how literary analysis can become a part of that process. Timely, provocative and destined to be widely read, this book makes a path-breaking contribution to memory, trauma, and literary studies." - Professor Susannah Radstone, University of East London, UK
"'Stef Craps's excellent study calls for the decolonizing of trauma theory and begins from the premise that its founding texts have failed to live up to the promise of cross-cultural ethical engagement. In a carefully argued thesis, he accuses trauma theory of Eurocentric bias in four crucial ways . . . Overall, this short book advances an eloquent plea to rethink trauma from a postcolonial perspective in order to listen to the suffering of Others beyond the western purview and, thereby, in Craps's words, "remain faithful to the ethical foundation of the field"." - Journal of Postcolonial Writing
'Despite the seriousness of the topic, the clarity and flow of Craps's writing makes Postcolonial Witnessing a joy . . . This is a book that engages with current debates in a lively and interesting way and is sure to be of interest to scholars of trauma, postcolonialism, cultural memory studies and related fields. Its clear structure and thorough consideration of foundational and recent literature, including an excellent index and bibliography, will also make it a useful text to those who are new to the topic. In fact, the book's strong argument, clear structure and engaging prose make Postcolonial Witnessing an example of what an academic text should be.' - Dialogues on Historical Justice and Memory
Synopsis
Postcolonial Witnessing argues that the suffering engendered by colonialism needs to be acknowledged more fully, on its own terms, in its own terms, and in relation to traumatic First World histories if trauma theory is to have any hope of redeeming its promise of cross-cultural ethical engagement.
Synopsis
Despite a stated commitment to cross-cultural solidarity, trauma theory - an area of cultural investigation that emerged out of the 'ethical turn' affecting the humanities in the 1990s - is marked by a Eurocentric, monocultural bias. This book takes issue with the tendency of the founding texts of the field to marginalize or ignore traumatic experiences of non-Western or minority groups, and to take for granted the universal validity of definitions of trauma and recovery that have developed out of the history of Western modernity. Moreover, it questions the assumption that a modernist aesthetic of fragmentation and aporia is uniquely suited to the task of bearing witness to trauma, and criticizes the neglect of the connections between metropolitan and non-Western or minority traumas. Combining theoretical argument with literary case studies, Postcolonial Witnessing contends that the suffering engendered by colonialism needs to be acknowledged more fully, on its own terms, in its own terms, and in relation to traumatic First World histories if trauma theory is to have any hope of redeeming its promise of cross-cultural ethical engagement.
About the Author
STEF CRAPS is a Research Professor in English Literature at Ghent University, Belgium, where he directs the Centre for Literature and Trauma. He is the author of Trauma and Ethics in the Novels of Graham Swift: No Short-Cuts to Salvation (2005).
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
The Trauma of Empire
The Empire of Trauma
Beyond Trauma Aesthetics
Ordinary Trauma in Sindiwe Magona's Mother to Mother
Mid-Mourning in David Dabydeen's 'Turner' and Fred D'Aguiar's Feeding the Ghosts
Cross-Traumatic Affiliation
Jewish/Postcolonial Diasporas in the Work of Caryl Phillips
Entangled Memories in Anita Desai's Baumgartner's Bombay
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index