Beyond individual trauma: Relational harm and relational resilience among former political prisoners in Venezuela
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/torture.v36i2.166700Keywords:
torture, relationship, resilience, participative action researchAbstract
Introduction: The interviews from two participatory action research projects are analysed to understand the impacts of torture and the expressions of resilience found in former political prisoners of Venezuela, with an emphasis on the relational aspects of both the impacts of torture and the strategies used for resilience. Methods: Thirty interviews from a first project were analysed and coded using reflexive thematic analysis, and eight interviews from a second project were analysed to refine the categories. Results: In addition to replicating findings reported elsewhere on individual suffering, these interviews, developed in collaboration with former political prisoners and their families, reveal a less-reported strand concerning the importance of relationships. Being isolated, witnessing the torture of others and suffering from what they imagine their family members to be suffering were considered the most distressing consequences. We also expand on the findings reported in other contexts regarding the importance of resilience in their testimonies. Resilience, interpreted in light of what oppression seeks to achieve, is categorised into strategies to regain agency and strategies to sustain relationships. Discussion: The relevance of focusing on the importance of relationships and of resilience when working with survivors of torture as a way to acknowledge their perspectives and empower their resistance is discussed. The use of participatory action research as an ethical approach that seeks to empower survivors throughout the process is also discussed.
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