Trauma as Displacement: Observations from Refugee Resettlement

Trauma does not have a single definition. Within Western paradigms, across humanities and social sciences, it has largely been characterized through temporal spatial dislocation. Critical studies of trauma, however, suggest that such framings rupture, catastrophe, mass displacement can obscure longer term structural forms violence, as colonialism gender-based violence. This article explores the displacement, emplacement, transitivity trauma process refugee resettlement. It is part broader qualitative study traces how concepts practices are mobilized in resettlement, specifically for Iraqis who resettled United States. argues neither one-time event endlessly relived reactivated identical episodes nor emplace singular geography. Rather, be understood set serial emplacements displacements multiple sites, our case transnationally. Apart from distress geopolitics war, securitized migration policies produce people displaced. family separation, should regarded merely an extension war-making but additional manifestation produced by global regime.