‘Let’s Not Do That Again!’: Tensions in Researching the Work of Trauma of War and Refugee Resettlement

This chapter discusses the politics and pitfalls of studying the work that trauma does in the context of the geopolitics of refugee resettlement. Building on insights from Critical Refugee Studies (CRS), we argue that trauma, taken as an analytical lens, not only allows us to show how violence and conflict stretch across space, but also how humanitarian workers and researchers become involved in perpetuating traumatic experiences. CRS and trauma-informed humanitarian workers both advise against treating and researching displaced people as inherently traumatised. In heeding these ethical calls, our focus here is to reflect methodologically on the practical tensions between researching the concept of trauma while not further traumatising research subjects and yet taking the multiplicity and depth of their experiences seriously.