Narratives of Pain and Survival: Psychological Trauma in Dalit Autobiographical Writings

Abstract

The stories of Dalit life articulate both the extreme psychological impact of caste-based discrimination and
lend expressions of opposition and resistance to such discrimination. Based on the trauma theory, and
especially the work of Cathy Caruth, the study explores the processes behind the caste discrimination as a
latent and internalised precipitate of violence that affects the emotional experience, memory, and identity
building. Dalit autobiographies prove humiliation, isolation, and shame are not accidental cases, but
apparently built into everyday life, with long-lasting psychological consequences.