Article published In:
Narrative InquiryVol. 24:2 (2014) ► pp.259–280
Visual narrative and trauma recovery
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.
Keywords: conflict resolution, truth commissions, photography, visual narrative, trauma, drawing
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lisahunter
2017. If You See What I Mean? Visual Narratives – Stories Told Through, With And By Visual Images. In Narrative Research in Practice, ► pp. 89 ff.
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