Trauma is trending – but we need to look beyond buzzwords and face its ugly side

By Meera Atkinson, Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing, University of Sydney

Around the turn of the 20th century, Imperial Russia was a volatile place. Living conditions were harsh for most people, labour was exploitative and taxes were high. There were strikes and rebellions, and Jewish immigrants were restricted to an annexed region known as the Pale of the Settlement, where “pogroms” – antisemitic riots and mob persecutions – had long menaced.

Between 1903 and 1906, as the deadliest waves swept across 64 towns in the Settlement, a girl child named Rivka hid in an alcove with…

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