Making Peace with the Haunted Past: On the Role of Public Narratives in Treating Historical Trauma

Abstract

This article is dedicated to investigating the role of public narratives in ameliorating historical trauma. My purpose is to summarize the parts of the literature on this topic that I find the most insightful and then critically engage with and try to elevate some of their discussions. The method of this study is a review of the most pertinent literature. The finding is that the public narratives which frame peoples experience of traumatic events are crucial in healing historical trauma and maintaining peace in the future. Overall, it is recommended that both the victims and the perpetrators can improve the situation by adjusting the public narratives that frame the experience of historical trauma in their culture. The victim group can reorient its focus to universal humanism instead of sticking to antagonistic narratives against the perpetrators. The perpetrator group needs to demonstrate in their public narratives their willingness to acknowledge the past wrongdoings, which is the prerequisite for the victim group to form non-antagonistic narratives.