THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF COMMUNAL VIOLENCE: MEMORY AND TRAUMA RESPONSES IN GITHA HARIHARAN’S FUGITIVE HISTORIES

Abstract

The Indian nation, despite being celebrated for its cultural diversity and secular democracy, harbours deep-rooted communal intolerance and hatred. Communal riots have been a persisting issue in the nation’s history and the rising number of incidents in the present decades invokes discussions on the psychological aftereffects of such incidents on victims and its representation in ethical narratives. Aside from causing physical destruction to homes and livelihoods, communal violence produces long-lasting psychological scars on the community, affecting identity and straining relationships among individuals. Recounting the aftermath of the Gujarat riots, Githa Hariharan’s Fugitive Histories paints a bleak picture of the grim reality of the psyche of post-traumatic survivors. This paper examines the literary representation of the altered psychological states of survivors in the aftermath of communal violence in Githa Hariharan’s Fugitive Histories. By examining the various trauma responses to post-riot survival such as psychological numbing, hypervigilance, intrusive memories, anxiety responses and coping mechanisms, the study explores how psychological trauma reshapes normative cognitive functioning of the human mind.  Drawing on theoretical insights from behavioural psychology and traumatic memory studies, this study examines the process behind learning to live once again after loss. The study further showcases the resilience of the minority population and the reformatory procedures as they move towards recovery. In presenting a psychological overview of the Gujarat riots, the novel in itself acts as a form of tertiary witnessing, evoking narrative empathy.