Books

Book Review: Erica James’ Democratic Insecurities: Violence, Trauma, and Intervention in Haiti

Erica James. Democratic Insecurities: Violence, Trauma, and Intervention in Haiti.

Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010. 384 pages; $24.95

Review by Hanna Kienzler (McGill University)

“Supported by a rich cultural heritage, the Haitian people retain a capacity for hope, faith, and resilience that remains a tremendous resource for any efforts to rehabilitate the nation and its people” …

Books

Fassin and Rechtman’s Empire of trauma

The empire of trauma:
An inquiry into the condition of victimhood.

Didier Fassin and Richard Rechtman
Translated by Rachel Gomme
Princeton University Press, 2009
304 pages; $24.95, paperback

Reviewed by Hanna Kienzler (McGill University)

“Trauma has become a major signifier of our age” (xi) and we talk about traumatic events such as rape, genocide, torture, slavery, terrorist attacks, and …