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Trauma in text explored in 'responsibility' conference

Thursday 29 November 2012, 2:20PM

By Massey University

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Contrary to common perceptions, literary scholars and social scientists are not only devoted to etiquette in Jane Austen’s novels, Shakespeare’s wit, or marriage rituals in Greco-Roman society.

They are just as likely to be immersed in contemporary literature, diaries, media reports or films on urgent social issues, wars, genocide, torture, oppression and violence, says Massey lecturer Dr Kim Worthington.

She is co-organiser of a conference on “responsibility” as it applies to understanding how individuals, cultures and nations deal with recovery, reconciliation and nation building in the aftermath of traumatic events. Massey’s School of English and Media Studies will host the conference at the Manawatū campus from December 3 to 5.

Titled The Limits of Responsibility, it addresses ethical dilemmas and responses to suffering, asking important questions about the role of literature, media and film in the representation of traumatic events, says Dr Worthington, a lecturer in English.

New Zealand and international researchers will share views on diverse issues, including local topics such as the government’s recent White Paper on Vulnerable Children, and Treaty claims under the Waitangi Tribunal. Literary, cinematic and historical representations of international events, including South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Holocaust, contemporary Jerusalem, democratic transition in Indonesia and neo-liberal politics in Latin America are also on the agenda.

Dr Emma Willis, a theatre director, writer and lecturer based at the Wellington campus, will speak on the impact of a play written and staged in New Zealand based on the true story of a friendship between a Rwandan refugee from the 1994 genocide, and a New Zealand Red Cross worker. Dr Willis’s paper examines how theatre can be a form of “ethics in action”, by conveying the human complexities of a tragic event in a live, intimate setting.

One of three keynote speakers, Massey historian Professor Michael Belgrave will discuss his views on how the dominance of historical grievances in the Waitangi Tribunal’s workload has limited its impact as vehicle for policy change, while Māori history lecturer Peter Meihana considers why Treaty settlements have come to be viewed not as a Crown responsibility or obligation but as a form of Māori privilege.

International keynote speaker Professor Susannah Radstone, an expert in film, history and memory from the University of East London, will explore “questions of responsibility as they permeate academic writing about trauma, trauma culture and trauma films”.

Dr Worthington says the conference showcases how academics in the humanities and social sciences are engaged with significant real-world issues that have a profound impact on our understanding of nationality, culture and history.

“We’re faced everyday with news stories, literature and films that ask us to consider ethical questions – how we treat prisoners, migrants, minorities, the poor. How do we respond, responsibly, to national and global histories of abuse, violence, atrocity and genocide?”

“As academics, we try to make sense of the social, literary and historical narratives – past and present – that shape the times we live in. That’s why we’ve based the conference around the idea of responsibility – it’s an opportunity to consider the diverse and often difficult topics we research and teach, exploring questions not only about human responsibility more generally, but of how we action that responsibility through academic research.”

She says the conference is open to the public, with many of the presentations of interest to welfare, migrant and human rights organisations.

For more information, click here: http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/departments/school-english-media-studies/conference-2012-the-limits-of-responsibility/conference-2012-the-limits-of_responsibility.cfm