Trauma, the key experience of twentieth-century Europe, has recently gained global importance. That is the reason behind the growing number of trauma theories. An important notion of Freudian trauma theory (Cathy Caruth) is that the traumatic event does not inevitably coincides with the emergence of traumatic state of mind (or consciousness). The concept of sociological trauma, coined by Jeffrey C. Alexander, suggests that it is the community that eventually decides which past event can be considered a traumatic experience. This is how traumatic experience is becoming today a decisive political doctrine that designates directly our moral and political attitude towards the events in the world.

Trauma, the key experience of twentieth-century Europe, has recently gained global importance. That is the reason behind the growing number of trauma theories. An important notion of Freudian trauma theory (Cathy Caruth) is that the traumatic event does not inevitably coincides with the emergence of traumatic state of mind (or consciousness). The concept of sociological trauma, coined by Jeffrey C. Alexander, suggests that it is the community that eventually decides which past event can be considered a traumatic experience. This is how traumatic experience is becoming today a decisive political doctrine that designates directly our moral and political attitude towards the events in the world.