FORCED TO FLEE: ANALYSING TRAUMATIC IMPACTS IN REFUGEE CHILDREN IN NADINE LABAKI'S CAPERNAUM.

FORCED TO FLEE: ANALYSING TRAUMATIC IMPACTS IN REFUGEE CHILDREN IN NADINE LABAKI'S CAPERNAUM.

Registration ID: IJNRD_184327

Published ID: IJNRD2212006

DOI: Click Here to Get

Aiswarya Kuriakose

Social trauma, Childhood trauma, Refugees, Identity, Migration.

The paper titled Forced to Flee: Analysing the Traumatic Impacts in Refugee children in Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum traces the effects of trauma experienced by refugee children and probes how the fragmented childhood of refugee children manifests as psychological repercussion in adults. Capernaum (2018) is a Lebanese drama film directed by Nadine Labaki, which poignantly depicts the stark reality of countless refugees in the outskirts of Beirut. The film unfolds through the eyes of a twelve year old Syrian refugee boy named Zain ; who files a charge against his parents for unwittingly bringing him into the uncertain world of refugees. The paper examines traumatic reflections in the different characters of Capernaum to substantiate the implications of such traumatic experiences in refugee children through the lens of the theories of social trauma and childhood trauma. The root causes of the struggles of refugees are identified through the analysis of behavioural traits of the characters - Zain, Souad , Selim, Sahar and Rahil in the movie. Tracing through Andreas Hamburger’s theory of social trauma, it is made clear that the socio-cultural environment in which they live shapes their identity and proves to be the prime cause of traumatic experiences. Trauma endured by them reflects the collective social trauma faced by the whole refugee population constituting Syrian and Ethiopian migrants in Lebanon. Kathleen Nader’s theory of Childhood trauma is employed to explore the ways in which the self of a child is constructed with the influence of past events. Refugee children go through a range of experiences which includes abandonment, neglect and poverty in their formative years and it can cause serious psychological impacts upon them. Trauma in all senses affects the concept of the self that children develop and destabilizes them leading to post- traumatic stress disorders and chronic psychic illness. Even though the movie has a happy ending, questions regarding the future of the child remains, as the adverse conditions have vehemently changed his behavioural patterns and it can lead to psychological disturbances in their adult life. The study reiterates the need to recognize and consider childhood trauma as a significant cause behind altering the identity of an individual. The observations related to the traumatic experiences of refugees in childhood prove substantial in addressing the mental instabilities of migrants in their adulthood.

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"FORCED TO FLEE: ANALYSING TRAUMATIC IMPACTS IN REFUGEE CHILDREN IN NADINE LABAKI'S CAPERNAUM.", IJNRD - INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (www.IJNRD.org), ISSN:2456-4184, Vol.7, Issue 12, page no.a33-a46, December-2022, Available :https://ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2212006.pdf

Volume 7 Issue 12, December-2022

Pages : a33-a46

Paper Reg. ID: IJNRD_184327

Published Paper Id: IJNRD2212006

Downloads: 000121169

Research Area: Arts

Country: KOZHIKODE, KERALA, India

Published Paper PDF: https://ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2212006.pdf

Published Paper URL: https://ijnrd.org/viewpaperforall?paper=IJNRD2212006

Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT(IJNRD)

ISSN: 2456-4184 | IMPACT FACTOR: 8.76 Calculated By Google Scholar | ESTD YEAR: 2016

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