Beyond the Lens: Transforming Trauma Through Decolonial Storytelling

A Documentary

In recent years, the field of trauma has gained significant public attention, particularly following the 2020 pandemic, which brought widespread stress, crisis and trauma from factors such as unemployment, racial tensions, economic downturns and mortality. More recently, the conflicts in Ukraine, Russia, Israel and Palestine have intensified the focus on trauma’s pervasive impact.

However, research remains limited on how individuals might transform these traumatic experiences in ways that foster resilience, growth and meaningful change. This study offers insights into the ways the participants had navigated cultural trauma, examining how transformation is experienced and understood.

Grounded in arts-based research, this study defines trauma transformation through documentary from a decolonising perspective. The research has employed ethnography to document the participants’ narratives and has adopted an insider research approach to address broader questions of cultural trauma transformation. The documentary-making process itself has also been investigated as a potential avenue for promoting transformative experiences.

The artefacts generated from this study are intended to communicate findings to a global audience, challenging predominantly Western perspectives on trauma and contributing to a more inclusive understanding within this evolving field. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, transformation circles and critically reflective dialogues centred around others’ trauma transformation stories. Data was analysed using thematic analysis to systematically identify and organise themes, revealing patterns of meaning across diverse experiences shared by the participants.