[Anthropgrad] seminar notification

[Catherine Smith]

Dear all,
 
On Thursday 4th December I will present a paper at the RSH 20/20/20 Seminar Series - in the Old Canberra House Theatrette from 10-11 am.
 
This is a run-through of the paper I will present at the ASA conference in Auckland next week entitled "We don't go to heaven via Jakarta: Trauma and destiny in post-conflict Aceh".

 
Abstract:
 
In post-conflict/post-tsunami Aceh, the term trauma signifies a fragile and temporary state of being in which a person is unable to accept hardship or loss as an individual’s predetermined destiny (qadha).  Here I discuss the ways in which Acehnese people commonly compare trauma in relation to the tsunami, with trauma in relation to the conflict.  
 
I argue that the popular narrative of the tsunami as an act of God to stop the conflict strongly informs the ways that people experienced the tsunami, understand the current peace agreement and ascribe meaning to ongoing trauma in the post-conflict environment.  Here I explore this narrative to illustrate the current meanings attributed to experiences of trauma in post-conflict Aceh and to bring attention to the ways that Aceh’s fragile political environment and the emotional and religious lives of Acehnese people continue to inform each other.


 
I look forward to seeing those of you who can make it on Thursday.
Catherine Smith
 
 
 
 
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