Narrating Trauma: Historiographical Interventions in Post-War Mythologies

Abstract

The historiography of post-war societies has increasingly shifted from linear, event-centric narratives toward interpretive frameworks that foreground trauma, memory, and narrative reconstruction. This paper critically examines how trauma is narrated within post-war mythologies and how historiographical interventions reshape collective memory. By interrogating the epistemological tensions between history and memory, the study explores the role of narrative structures, cultural myth-making, and political instrumentalization in reconstructing traumatic pasts. The analysis demonstrates that trauma narratives are neither passive reflections of past events nor purely subjective recollections; rather, they function as dynamic discursive formations that negotiate identity, legitimacy, and moral authority in post-conflict contexts. Through theoretical synthesis and analytical modeling, the paper proposes a conceptual framework linking trauma narration, myth-making, and historiographical intervention. The study also integrates tabular and visual representations to illustrate narrative transformations and interpretive layers. Ultimately, the paper argues that historiography does not merely document trauma but actively participates in its reconfiguration, thereby influencing both individual and collective understandings of the past.