Witnessing Torture Perspectives of Torture Survivors and Human Rights Workers

Alone at Night......Page 7
 Rhetorics of Torture in the Public Sphere......Page 8
 On the Social and Institutional Contexts of Witnessing: Expanding the Frame of Life Writing about Torture......Page 14
Acknowledgments......Page 28
Contents......Page 30
Notes on Contributors......Page 33
Part I......Page 39
 Chapter 1: Torture: The Catastrophe of a Bond......Page 44
  The Subculture of Fear: The Irresponsible Subject......Page 46
  The Decision to Be a Torturer......Page 48
  Torture: Etiology of Clinical Manifestations That Follow......Page 49
  Tortured: Anguish and Attempts at a Solution......Page 51
  Psychological Phases and Processes in a Situation of Torture......Page 53
 Chapter 2: Torture in an Historical Context: Notes from Sudan......Page 57
  Torture in Sudan after 1989......Page 61
  My Ghost House Life......Page 62
  Reflection and Evaluation......Page 65
  Torture Menu......Page 67
 Chapter 3: The Unspeakable Agony of Inflicted Pain: Torture, Betrayal, Redress......Page 72
  Pain Revisited......Page 73
   Let Me Rewind a Bit......Page 75
  The Aftermath......Page 78
  Our TASSC......Page 81
 Chapter 4: Translating Trauma, Witnessing Survival......Page 82
  Transforming “Unspeakable” to Spoken......Page 84
  Serving as an Agent of Healing and Hurt......Page 85
  Beyond Being a Translator: Being a Fellow Human Being......Page 87
  A Final Word about Bridging Distances......Page 89
Part II......Page 91
 Chapter 5: The Role of Health Professionals in Torture Treatment......Page 95
  Introduction......Page 96
   Role as Healer......Page 98
   Role as Accompanier......Page 100
   Role as Spiritual Guide......Page 101
   Role as Advocate......Page 102
  What Survivors Have Taught Me......Page 103
 Chapter 6: Assessing the Treatment of Torture: Balancing Quantifiable with Intangible Metrics......Page 105
  Introduction......Page 107
  Methodology......Page 111
  Evidence-Based Practice in Torture Treatment and Rehabilitation......Page 112
  Interviewing Survivors of Torture......Page 116
   Meeting Other Survivors......Page 117
   Speaking in Public......Page 118
   Healing......Page 119
  Conclusion......Page 122
 Chapter 7: The Little Red Cabinet of Tears: The Impact upon Treatment Providers of Bearing Witness to Torture......Page 123
  Coming Undone......Page 127
  Learning to Hold the Trauma......Page 131
   Social Consequences......Page 132
   Changed Worldview......Page 134
   Challenged Spiritual Beliefs......Page 135
  The Process of Strengthening Myself to Bear Witness to Torture......Page 136
   Strengthening through Learning......Page 137
  Transformation and Resilience......Page 139
  Conclusion......Page 142
 Chapter 8: Beyond Institutional Betrayal: When the Professional Is Personal......Page 144
  Introduction......Page 145
  Professional Identity and the APA......Page 150
  What Can I Do? What Can I Help Others Do?......Page 164
  Further Thoughts......Page 167
Part III......Page 170
 Chapter 9: Everardo and the CIA’s Long-Term Torture Practices......Page 176
  Guatemala, a Long-Standing Example......Page 178
  Everardo......Page 179
  Voices of the Survivors......Page 186
 Chapter 10: Survivors and the Origin of the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance......Page 190
  FEDEFAM......Page 193
  The Need for a Convention......Page 194
  The Definition of Enforced Disappearance......Page 195
  The Right to Know the Truth about the Fate of the Person Disappeared and All Related Circumstances......Page 197
  The Right to Justice for the Families of the Disappeared......Page 198
  Multiple Aspects of the Right to Reparation Are Affirmed......Page 199
  Never Again: The Right Not to Be Subject to Enforced Disappearance......Page 200
 Chapter 11: The Tenacity of Memory: Art in the Aftermath of Atrocity......Page 202
  Empathy......Page 203
  Impotence......Page 206
  Memory......Page 208
  Truth......Page 210
  Art......Page 211
  Epilogue......Page 214
 Chapter 12: Teaching about Torture, or, Reading between the Lines in the Humanities......Page 215
  The Academic as Intellectual......Page 217
  Inter-Legere as Imagination......Page 218
  Failures of Imagination......Page 219
  Responding to “the testimony of one’s own eyes and ears”......Page 220
  Failures of Imagination in the Academy......Page 223
  Torture and Teaching as Institutionalized Praxes......Page 224
  Torture as a Historical and Cultural Praxis......Page 227
  Exposing the Secret: Torture Today in Fact, Language, and Representation......Page 230
  Torture Culture, American Style......Page 232
  Imagining More......Page 235
  Academic Praxis and Torture?......Page 237
  Imagining Human Rights as Mainstream......Page 241
 Chapter 13: Legal Appeal: Habeas Lawyers Narrate Guantánamo Life......Page 242
 Chapter 14: Did We Survive Torture?......Page 261
Epilogue: From Solitude to Solidarity......Page 267
Index......Page 271