Department or Program
English
Abstract
Contemporary trauma theory still relies on the Freudian principles of the dissolution of identity and the inaccessibility of traumatic memory that were first conceived of nearly one hundred years ago. Since their conception, these theories have been assumed by trauma theorists to be universally applicable. In my readings of the Vietnam War literature of Tim O’Brien, Yusef Komunyakaa, Viet Than Nguyen, and Ocean Vuong, I seek to subvert the ethnocentrism of this singular trauma theory. I delve into Literary Trauma Studies, Asian American Studies, and Psychoacoustical Studies in order to illuminate the differences in representations of trauma produced by cultural difference. Investigating the intersection of culture and the representation of trauma illustrated that the privileging of work by white American veterans in the canon of Vietnam war literature serves to erase the cultural memories of African and Asian Americans.
Level of Access
Open Access
First Advisor
Osucha, Eden
Date of Graduation
5-2019
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Recommended Citation
Sanders, William, "Some Strive to Remember, Others Wish They Could Forget: The Intersection of Culture and Trauma in Vietnam War Literatures" (2019). Honors Theses. 338.
https://scarab.bates.edu/honorstheses/338
Number of Pages
83
Open Access
Available to all.