Transdisciplinary Trauma Studies

Different forms of trauma shape our perception of the social reality, ranging from sexual violence informing the #MeToo movement, Anti-Black violence as the context for BlackLivesMatter, to the Stolen Generations, the Holocaust, the pandemic and climate catastrophes. They impact the ways we recognize and remember, but also forget and silence past and present injustices. The divergent attitudes towards these traumatic experiences determine both what our societies currently look like and what they will look like in the future. For this reason, we think, we must urgently assess trauma in its many forms.

With the series Transdisciplinary Trauma Studies, we propose a new understanding of the field of trauma studies that incorporates diverse perspectives on trauma and different disciplinary approaches. Originating in psychology and later adopted by cultural studies, trauma research increasingly transcends the disciplinary boundaries of the fields ranging from sociology and history through media studies to computer science. The expansion of the field reflects the breadth of possible applications of trauma research, but also raises multiple conceptual and methodological challenges, challenges that the scholarly community must rise to meet.

The series foregrounds research on trauma that brings together approaches from across disciplines such as cultural studies, psychology, history, sociology, and beyond. It invites manuscripts on the broad range of topics in trauma studies, including but not limited to climate change- or catastrophe-related trauma; digital trauma; gendered trauma; migration trauma; indigenous trauma; and the comparative study of historical trauma. It welcomes contributions dealing with trauma in different geographical and cultural contexts, especially those that are less represented in the existing scholarship.

As a transdisciplinary hub for trauma studies, the series is motivated by the conviction that research on trauma can drive social change, and that trauma-sensitive societies are more resilient and sustainable. The series intends to draw attention both to the short-term and long-term effects of trauma, and contribute to the description, analysis and discovery of novel ways of trauma processing. Our hope is that the research published in our series will have an impact beyond the scholarly community, reaching policy makers who can make a difference on how traumatic legacies are understood and accommodated at all social levels.