- Link:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1506
- Collection:
-
- Subjects
- HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare HV HV Social pathology. Social and public
welfare
- Creator:
- Fierke, Karin Marie
- Contributors:
- University of St Andrews. School of International Relations University of St Andrews. School of International
Relations
- Format
- 21
- Format
- text
- Language
- eng
- Relation
- Review of International Studies
- Rights
- (c)British International Studies Association
- Type
- Journal article
- Description
- In cases such as World War I grief or trauma were
nearly universal in the European context and a direct consequence
of a political experience of war. This article asks whether
widespread social suffering may have a social and political
expression that is larger than the sum of traumatised or bereaved
individuals. Section 1 explores Martha Nussbaum's theory of
emotion, particularly as it relates to grief and compassion and
uses this to build two contrasting typologies of grief and trauma.
Central to this contrast is the idea that grief, as an emotion, is
embedded in a community, while trauma and emotional numbing
correspond with a breakdown of community and an isolation, which
may give rise to solipsism, The latter would appear to make any
notion of social trauma a contradiction in terms. Section 2 draws
on the philosopher Wittgenstein's critique in the Philosophical
Investigations of his early work in the Tractatus, to argue that
even the solipsist exists in a particular kind of social world.
This provides a foundation for arguing, in Section 3, that social
trauma can find expression in a political solipsism, which has
dangerous consequences. Section 4 theorises the relationship
between trauma, identity and agency at the international
level.
- Description
- Publisher PDF
- Description
- Peer reviewed
- Access:
- Instructions in case access is denied
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