Trauma at the intersection of precarity and the politics of language: exploring memory and manipulation in Joy Kogawa’s Obasan

Abstract

The process of retrieving information in memory allows humans to recall and forget things. It is an active approach to determining our mutable identity, as memory never remains static. But what occurs if this dynamic process of iteration and interaction becomes fixed and fails to establish a rapport based on sympathy and solidarity with non-Western ‘others?’ This paper investigates the intricate relationship of language, memory, trauma, and power, particularly focusing on the precarity induced by the manipulation of language in the context of historical and political narratives. Apropos how such manipulation can also distort collective memory and ignite trauma; shaping perceptions and moulding societal narratives. Through an examination of Joy Kogawa’s Obasan and by employing theoretical frameworks such as Freud’s concept of “screen memories” and Deumert’s notion of “scripts of supremacy,” the paper examines the intersection of precarity and the politics of language. Additionally, it investigates the concept of “Historiographic Metafiction”, as proposed by Hutcheon, highlighting the fusion of history and fiction in preserving collective memory and aiding in the process of healing from trauma. Thus, the main objective of this study is to critically examine how language manipulation distorts collective memory and triggers trauma, emphasising how literature functions as a corrective tool and a representation of cultural memory to counteract this precarity, navigate power dynamics, and preserve collective memory.