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Article published In: Narrative Inquiry
Vol. 30:1 (2020) ► pp.122–141

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Tara Rai’s Chhapamar Yuwatiko Diary

Narrative & socio-political context of her war trauma in Nepal

 | Kathmandu University
 | University of Limerick
 | Kathmandu University
Published online: 10 March 2020
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.18058.ach
Abstract
This paper examines Tara Rai’s Chhapamar Yuwatiko Diary [‘A Diary of a Young Guerrilla Girl’] (Rai, T. (2010). Chhapamar Yuwatiko Diary. Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) – a memoir which describes a 15-year-old girl’s experience of first armed encounter, subsequent detainment, and release from the custody towards the end of the Maoist war in Nepal. We analyze the author’s narrative of adversity and distress, using thematic analysis. Three themes, namely, (1) perception of impending death, (2) severe stress reactions, and (3) gradual recovery are found in temporal succession. In a subsequent analysis, we examine using content analysis the personal, group, and socio-political factors linked to these dominant themes to understand the dynamics associated with Rai’s understanding of personal experience, and adjustment to violence. Discussion of the findings orient the readers of this narrative not only to how Rai’s perception of her trauma experience changes but also to how this account can inform the way people negotiate the trauma of war.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Methods
    • Method one: Thematic analysis
    • Method two: Content analysis
  • Findings
    • Thematic analysis
    • Perception of impending death
    • Severe stress reactions
    • Gradual recovery
    • Content analysis
    • Personal contexts
    • Group contexts
    • Socio-political contexts
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
References (37)
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Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Muldoon, Orla T., Robert D. Lowe, Jolanda Jetten, Tegan Cruwys & S. Alexander Haslam
2021. Personal and Political: Post‐Traumatic Stress Through the Lens of Social Identity, Power, and Politics. Political Psychology 42:3 ► pp. 501 ff. DOI logo

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