Visual narrative and trauma recovery

Bibliographic Data

ID12625428
AuthorsRobin Hoecker (Northwestern University, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume24
Issue2
Pages259-280
Publication date2014-11-24
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueNarrative Inquiry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1387-6740 • E-ISSN: 1569-9935
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/ni.24.2.05hoe
OpenAlexW1965214557
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited17

Visual representations are powerful vehicles for the transmission of collective memory and the processing of traumatic events (Zelizer, 1998). But how do images create narrative, particularly in context of a traumatic past? This paper analyzes two visual narratives created by national truth commissions in Guatemala and Peru. Drawing from various theories of visual narrative and visual grammar, mainly Eisner (1985), McCloud (1993), Kress and Van Leeuwen (2006), and Cohn (2013), this paper analyzes how each project used visuals — photography and illustrations — to create the building blocks of narrative: characters, setting, and plot. It compares and contrasts the two projects in terms of how they depict the main actors in the conflicts, as well as the main events and the overall visual narrative structure. Finally, this paper discusses the potential benefits and drawbacks of each medium as a post-traumatic tool

Archaeology · Art · Context (archaeology · Grammar · Linguistics · Literature · Narrative · Photography · Plot (graphics · Visual arts · Visual language · Digital Storytelling and Education · History · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Participatory Visual Research Methods · Psychology

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