8th to 10th of March, 2023

Our workshop aims at continuing an ongoing discussion around trauma as a multi-disciplinary field by exploring the role of language in the discursive construction of trauma as an object of knowledge, its involvement in the actual experience of trauma, and its potential and limitations in the narration of trauma. Relevant reseach is not limited to language studies per se and we are eager to learn about interdisciplinary research in the field. Trauma, like other intense experiences and feelings such as pain, grief, and rage, touches at the limits of the sayable. In situations of trauma, linguistic interaction might be perceived as so ‘extreme’ or ‘exceptional’ that these kinds of interactions might appear marginal to an understanding of how language in ‘normal’ interaction functions. We welcome contributions that present theoretical considerations, give insights into empirical research in different areas related to language and trauma or present applications of the connections of language and trauma.