Aleph
Volume 12, Numéro 4, Pages 303-325
2025-12-25
Rewriting The Past: Trauma And Repair In Destination Biafra And The Farming Of Bones
Authors : Terrab Asma . Naar-gada Nadia .
Abstract
The remembering of traumatic experiences is among the contentious issues that beat contemporary researches, believing that colonization, sexual abuse, oppression and other horrific experiences are engraved on the mind never to be forgotten. Relying on Cathy Caruth’s theory of trauma as a wound and a means of articulating the unspoken histories of suffering, this study explores how two texts serve as vehicles for uncovering traumatic experiences that resist immediate recognition or expression. The argument is that traumatic recollections serve as a transformative force, empowering women in Destination Biafra and The Farming of Bones. Though written in different historical and geographical contexts, the two novels portray female protagonists, not only facing trauma, the outcome of oppressive patriarchal structures and personal loss, but also stress how they are resilient in finding empowerment through their struggles. Trauma, either as an event and an absence aligns with the selected literary works, where the characters’ recollections of violence and loss are often fragmented and incomprehensible at first glance. Both narratives reflect on the profound impact of trauma on memory and identity. This study is noteworthy as it reveals the intersection of gender and historical trauma, offering an understanding of women steering their experiences amid political repression. The findings are anticipated to deepen our hold of the novels’ feminist dimensions and aid as a basis for future investigations into the juncture of feminist literature inspiring further probe of how women’s stories figure individual experience in relation to national perceptions. Thus, this study sets the foundation for future research in analogous themes athwart trauma literature.
Keywords
History ; trauma ; nation ; postcolonial ; woman ; power ; African ; Caribbean
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