Witnessing and Cultural Trauma: The Role of Flashbulb Memories in the Trauma Process

Cultural trauma forms when representations of a public event become collectively shared and viewed as traumatic for the community. There is a place for flashbulb memories – vivid recollections of learning about public, emotionally charged events – in this trauma process, in that these memories allow community members to serve as witnesses of the event and participate in the process of shaping the event’s cultural representation. Inasmuch as most members of a community often possess flashbulb memories, an entire community may, on occasion, participate in the creation of trauma-centered meaning through mutual witnessing.