Traumas Past, Present and Future: Trauma-Heritage and Trauma-Informed Practice

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Trauma has become a modern-day zeitgeist in developed countries and as a term, has proliferated in everyday discourse. Global epidemiological studies estimate that over 70% of people will be exposed to extremely traumatic or life-threatening events. However, trauma begets trauma and individuals previously affected by trauma are more susceptible to its impacts. Globally, as we embrace a ‘trauma and truth telling’ discourse, we see a marked increase in the recognition of heritage places connected to traumatic events. In this paper, we introduce the concept of trauma-heritage, a frame that shines a light on heritage connected to trauma. We provide an understanding of how traumatic events can affect individuals and collectively, potentially causing psychological trauma; and in turn, how to engage with people who have experienced trauma to avoid risking re-traumatisation. Broadly, this paper speaks to ethical responsibilities connected to human rights, social justice, and future-focused heritage.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow