Historical and Social Studies on Collective Trauma. Revisiting the Effects of Political Violence in Latin American Contexts

This research paper explores the concept of collective trauma and its application in the historical and social context of Latin American societies. The transfer of the term «collective trauma» from the field of psychological knowledge to the social and historical sphere raises questions about its legitimacy and conceptual framework. The study examines the fidelity of this conceptual transfer and its relationship with the early psychoanalytic understanding of traumatic phenomena. The European cultural context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries provided the basis for theorizing the consequences of intense and violent experiences, resulting in the concept of «traumatic neurosis», influenced significantly by Freud's work. The article discusses the appropriation of psychoanalytic tools in historical and cultural criticism to comprehend events that challenge traditional frameworks and social intelligibility, such as the Holocaust. The notion of trauma as an enigmatic and recurrent force in historical experience is explored through the lens of trauma studies. The article highlights prominent scholars in this field and their use of psychoanalytic concepts, demonstrating the preservation and meaningful application of these concepts in understanding historical and collective phenomena. By bridging the gap between individual psychological experiences and collective traumas, trauma studies offer a unique approach to interpreting and representing events that resist traditional historical narratives.