Beyond Trauma Narratives

Abstract

Abstract To understand how moments of crisis shape stories told in the aftermath, the authors explore narrative thought processes through the prism of a regional crisis. Drawing on research with participants who grew up during the military siege of Sarajevo (1992–1995), the authors describe spaces within the unoccupied city shaped by military destruction and consider the range of unique activities these spaces afforded to young people. Analyzing narratives written in the aftermath of the siege, the authors focus on participants’ enactment of adverbs, a linguistic category used to qualify action in relation to place, time, circumstance, or manner. Their analyses show that, as participants reflect on activities of heightened danger across novel and precarious spaces, their narratives become more evaluative, often illustrating their feelings or impressions and qualifying the relationship between self and the context of activities. Beyond the singular focus on trauma narratives, the authors’ findings suggest a complex sociocognitive response to crisis.