Srinagar, Mar 26 : A three -day International Seminar on ‘Literature and Trauma Studies: Theory, Narrative and Representation’ started here at University of Kashmir on Tuesday.
The seminar is being organized by Department of English, University of Kashmir in which delegates, academicians, scholars, writers and other eminent professionals from across the country and abroad are participating.
Vice Chancellor University of Kashmir Prof Talat Ahmad who presided over the inaugural session of the seminar said that the current digital trends have made it easy for people to share their experiences and trauma as witnessed recently in the global MeToo movement.
“It is necessary for people to have a platform to express and have an open culture of sharing experiences”, he said.
Faculty member at Ambedkar University Delhi and author Prof RadhaChakorvarty who was the guest of honour on the occasion expressed her gratitude for having been invited to Kashmir and talked about war, trauma and memory.
She also said that the theme of event was significant globally. She narrated a short story of Bangladeshi novelist Rashid Haider on the subject. “Narratives of trauma can be understood as representation of history and culture and are a way of negotiating loss.”
Renowned psychiatrist Dr Mushtaq A Margoob who was the guest of honour on the occasion talked about cultural trauma and the need of having a secure environment.
“We need to have a secure environment in order to tackle the collective, individual and cultural trauma,” said Dr Margoob.
Director Edith Cowan Centre For Global Issues, Australia Professor Paul Arthur who delivered his keynote address through a recorded video talked about his personal experiences on recording history in oral narratives.
He talked about the need of breaking silences and recording history through personal narratives. “The contemporary digital platforms have made it even easy to record our personal narratives of war and break the spiral of silences and protest against the burial of history.”
Head Department of English and Seminar Director, Prof Lily Want in her welcome address gave a comprehensive outlook on the theme of the seminar and welcomed all the dignitaries, scholars and students on the occasion.
She said that the present theme has been chosen to invite an integrated multidisciplinary discussion on one of the current escalating problems and challenges worldwide and is aimed at bringing to fore the cultural and psychological context of literature in terms of its relationship with human nature and existence.
“The aim of this seminar is to explore ways in which writers interact with and depict traumatic experiences often deemed irreducible to language. It is an attempt to broaden the theoretical foundations and future directions of the field through innovative analysis of trauma in literature,” said Prof Lilly Want.
Dr Iffat Maqbool presented the vote of thanks on the occasion.
