Memory, War and Trauma

246 Pages·2010·3.201 MB·English

by  Nigel C. Hunt

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Memory, War and Trauma
Manymillionsofpeopleareaffectedbythetraumaofwar.Psychologists
have a good understanding of how experiences of war impact on
memory, but the significance of external environmental influences is
often disregarded. Memory, War and Trauma focuses on our under-
standing of the psychosocial impact of war in its broadest sense.
Nigel C. Hunt argues that, in order to understand war trauma, it is
criticaltodevelopanunderstandingnotonlyoftheindividualperspec-
tivebutalsoofhowsocietalandculturalfactorsimpactontheoutcome
ofanindividual’sexperience.Thisisacompellingbookwhichhelpsto
demonstrate why some people suffer from post-traumatic stress while
otherpeopledon’t,andhownarrativeunderstandingisimportanttothe
healing process. Its multidisciplinary perspective will enable a deeper
understanding of both individual traumatic stress and the structures
ofmemory.
nigel c. hunt is Associate Professor in the Institute of Work,
HealthandOrganisationsattheUniversityofNottingham.

Memory, War and Trauma
Nigel C. Hunt
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore,
São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521887847
© Nigel C. Hunt
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the
provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part
may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2010
ISBN-13 978-0-511-72974-4 eBook (NetLibrary)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-88784-7 Hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-71625-3 Paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication,
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain,
accurate or appropriate.
For Sue

Contents
Preface pageix
1 Background andpurpose 1
2 Historical perspective 14
3 Methods and ethics 28
4 Currenttheory: post-traumaticstressdisorder 50
5 Approachesto understanding trauma 61
6 Positiveoutcomes of traumatic experiences 81
7 Memoryand history 96
8 Personal narrativeand socialdiscourse 114
9 Illustrating narrativeas ascientific technique:
the role of social support 127
10 Ageing,trauma and memory 140
11 Literature andtrauma 161
12 Memorialisation and commemoration 172
13 Battlefield tours 186
14 Conclusions and future directions 196
References 206
Index 222
vii