Social Traumas Research Group
Overview
The Social Traumas Research Group was founded in 2021.
In our understanding social and cultural trauma occurs when members of a collectivity feel they have been subjected to a horrendous event that leaves indelible marks upon their group consciousness, marking their memories forever and changing their future identity in fundamental and irrevocable ways (Alexander, 2012). Sztompka (2000) speaks about social trauma in the context of social change and draws on Merton’s notion of anomie and Beck and Giddens’ concept of risk. In his view the word 'trauma' is no longer confined to hospitals and psychiatric wards, but a new discourse is born, the discourse of trauma, and it is steadily entering the domain of social sciences and the humanities (Caruth, 1995, 1996; Neal, 1998). One possible use of the concept of trauma is to deal with the problem of negative, dysfunctional, adverse effects that major social change may leave in its wake, the 'trauma of change' inflicted on the 'body' of a changing society. The trauma on which we focus is a peculiar type of social change which has destructive effects on the body social. These could be: revolution (whether victorious or failed), coup d'etat, racial riots; collapse of the market; radical economic reform (e.g. nationalisation or privatization); forced migration or deportation, ethnic cleansing; genocide, extermination, mass murder; acts of terrorism or violence; assassination of the political leader; revisionist interpretation of national heroic tradition; collapse of an empire, lost war (Sztompka 2000, p. 454). Historical social trauma, as used by social workers, historians, and psychologists, refers to the cumulative emotional harm of a community or generations caused by a traumatic experience or event. National traumas have been created by “individual and collective reactions to a volcano-like event that shook the foundations of the social world” (Neal 1998, ix). An event traumatises a collectivity because it is “an extraordinary event,” an event that has such “an explosive quality” that it creates “disruption” and “radical change . . . within a short period of time” (Neal 1998, 3, 9–10). Social traumas can be generated by social (individual or structural) discrimination and marginalisation of certain social groups. One area to be discussed is the context and consequences of discrimination and social exclusion that trigger social trauma (Matheson et al. 2019, Kirkinis et al. 2018).
Significant recent scholarship concludes that the manifestations of trauma, although produced by different events and actions, are exhibited in similar ways within each afflicted community.
The aim of our research group is to bring new results related to domestic and international trauma research to the fore at the ELTE Faculty of Social Sciences, and for our faculty and students to be able to take a role in the domestic scientific research of the topic and in the preparation of publications related to the topic. An important goal of the Research Group is to embrace research carried out at the Faculty and make the results visible, as well as thematisation of new research areas and directions, creation of resources and initiation of new research.
The programs which were carried out in the recent years:
Between 2021-2023, the research team conducted qualitative research on transgenerational social trauma transmission in collaboration with Yeshiva University Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. Within this framework, we devised two semester-long research seminars for students majoring in sociology, who participated in the interviewing process. The results of the research are being processed. Facebook profile of the research seminar: https://www.facebook.com/groups/100390966360733
In 2022, under the title "Social Traumas Living with Us", we organised the ELTE Budapest Summer University (BSU) between July 24-30. The participants came from China, Bhutan, the Netherlands, Ireland, India, and Indonesia. The summer university ended with great success; the students' evaluation of the program was excellent. Summary: https://www.elte.hu/en/bsu-2022-summary
Based on the previous successes of the program, we organised a two-week BSU program in 2023 with 20 participants from Germany, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Ethiopia. The program won the DAAD scholarship, which provided 15 students studying at different German universities with the opportunity to participate. BSU program: https://www.elte.hu/en/content/social-traumas-living-with-us.t.2502
On April 14, 2022, under the title “New Opportunities of Trauma Research in Social Work” conference was held in Balint House, Jewish Community Center where the research group and its activities were introduced. The number of in person and online participants were over 60. Conference program: https://sway.office.com/XHQOP33zBFv8Abmu
Research group members
- Dr. habil Ágnes KÖVÉR-VAN TIL, professor, head of the Research Group, Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
- Dr. Zoltán HÁBERMAN, assistant professor, responsible for publications, Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
- Dr. Krisztián INDRIES, assistant professor, responsible for conferences and other events, Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
- Réka CZELLENG, graduate student, BSU assistant
- Efraim VARGA, graduate student, course assistant
Keywords
social trauma, transgenerational trauma, cultural trauma, discrimination, historical trauma, resilience, trauma process
Outputs
Publications in progress.
Contact information (leader)
Dr. habil Ágnes KÖVÉR-VAN TIL
professor
Department of Social Work
Faculty of Social Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest (ELTE)
kover.agnes@tatk.elte.hu
Webpage (Academia.edu)
Other essential information
We welcome everyone who is interested in the topic to join the Research Group.