Cultural Trauma Studies and Post-traumatic Protests

Abstract: The world is rife with protesters standing in defiance against war, sexism, racism, and social, economic, and environmental injustices. Could protests such as these represent post-traumatic expressions? Are they symptoms of traumatic experiences and/or therapeutic mechanisms to address trauma reverberating in conscious and unconscious realms? To address these questions, this article first demonstrates how the field of cultural trauma studies has focused on trauma to the neglect of more positive post-traumatic states. To address this gap and flesh out the concept of "post-traumatic protests," I analyze metaphysical, aesthetic, and linguistic post-traumatic protests from world literature, arguing that these works appear to foster healing, resilience, resistance, and growth. These conclusions are informed by interdisciplinary research that combines perspectives from both the humanities and the sciences.