Postcolonial Witnessing Trauma Out of Bounds [Hardcover]

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.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

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, provocatlói