War, Memory, Trauma
Convened by Dr Sarah York
In light of the major and enduring conflicts that have shaped the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, it is unsurprising that memory and trauma have emerged as highly visible, and at times contentious, concepts that are widely invoked by the public, the media, medical professionals and academics. How do service personnel cope with the stress of modern warfare? And how do they remember their experiences on the frontline? This project examining the psychological impact of modern war on servicemen will include a number of public events: a public lecture, poetry reading & exhibition and drop-in object handling sessions at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.
HERBERT ART GALLERYAND MUSEUM |
SCHOOL OUTREACHPROJECT |
‘War, Memory, Trauma’ examined the psychological impact of modern war on servicemen. It considered how service personnel cope with the stress of modern warfare? And how they remember their experiences on the frontline?
The project was organised by Centre for the History of Medicine in collaboration with the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Stoke Park School and Community Technology College, Nine Arches Press, and Veterans Contact Point. The project aimed to stimulate public discussion on a variety of issues including, military life, traumatic memory, mental breakdown and the legacy of war.
An exhibition at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum explored the psychological stress of war on service personnel from the emergence of shell shock to more recent debates on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as civilian experiences of the Coventry blitz. A one-day workshop with Stoke Park School included oral history presentations and a poetry workshop involving Nine Arches Press. The main output of the workshop was a poetry collection exploring a number of themes including, fear, injury, grief, comradeship, courage, stress and masculinity.
The project included a number of public events: an exhibition launch at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum (Saturday 23rd June), which included a poetry reading, memory exchange and object handling session; a public lecture, 'Memories and Emotions: Discovering the Soldiers' Perspective of War' (Tuesday 21st August 12.30-13.30pm at the Herbert); and an exhibition of the 'War, Memory, Trauma' poetry collection was held at the Coventry Mysteries Festival.
The project was launched in October 2011 and concluded in June 2012.
Follow me on twitter: @warandmemory
DOWNLOAD 'War, Memory, Trauma' poetry collection - poems exploring the emotional experience of modern war by pupils of Stoke Park School and Community Technology College.
Veterans Talk
