Sixty years before the homicide: The Vieques movement and trauma resolution

Abstract

This article focuses on the intersection of cultural trauma and social movements research to bridge the two in an effort to expand the application of trauma theory and to enrich the social movements research field. Focusing on the case of the antimilitary movement in Vieques, Puerto Rico (1943–2004), I examine the way trauma narratives informed the mobilization process, and how the movement engaged in a meaning-making process that contributed to its success. The article addresses the concept of trauma resolution through social movement research as a way for social actors to change their social conditions and re-establish control over the means of self-representation.