Introduction: Black holes in the sciences - trauma, culture, aesthetics

Abstract Drawing on philosophy, trauma theory and aesthetics, this issue of PUBLIC presents trauma in its complexity of experience across cultures and individuals. Trauma is a common, empathy-ready experience that we might engage as mirror to our pained or apathetic responses, and might harness to light personal political fires. Traumatic response is framed beyond mental illness or coping, as a symptom of a larger cognitively informed process, …