The Woman in Black: A Defense of Trigger Warnings in Creating Inclusive Academic Spaces for Trauma-Affected Students through a Feminist Disability Studies Pedagogy

Abstract

Trigger warnings have been at the heart of a heated debate within academic circles since they burst into higher education in 2013. Using an intersectional feminist disability studies pedagogy, this article traces the ableist assumptions underscoring anti-trigger warning concerns around avoidance, coddling of students, and “overcoming” impairment language. It also examines the misconstructions in anti-trigger warning arguments centered on academic freedom, and agency, mapping out ambiguous trigger warning definitions. I argue that trigger warnings are vital accommodations necessary for creating inclusive academic spaces for trauma-affected students and students with disabilities to prepare themselves to engage with distressing materials. Academics must heed caution in distinguishing between discomfort and emotional harm to avoid devaluing the lived experiences of trauma-affected students.