Abstract

PEREZ, Juan Diego. (RE)VOCALIZING TRAUMA: READING CARUTH THROUGH THE ETHICS OF LISTENING. perifrasis. rev.lit.teor.crit. [online]. 2018, vol.9, n.18, pp.117-133. ISSN 2145-8987.  https://doi.org/10.25025/perifrasis20189.18.07.

This paper critically revisits Caruth’s argument on the ethical imperative of testimony as it is stated in Unclaimed Experience. It shows how its formulation implies a devocalization of trauma that shapes her understanding of the act of listening that this imperative demands. In light of Cavarero’s “ontology of vocal uniqueness” and Nancy’s reflection on the sense of listening, I argue the ethical commitment underlying the act of bearing witness does not stem from an epistemological impotence but rather from the vocal and aural structure framing it, which ultimately implies testimony should be understood as an imperative of resonance.

Keywords : trauma theory; testimony; acousmatic voice; listening; resonance.

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