Call for Book Chapters: "Narrative medicine: trauma and ethics"

Vernon Press invites book chapter proposals to be included in a forthcoming scholarly volume on "Narrative medicine: trauma and ethics" edited by associate professor Anders Juhl Rasmussen and professor, MD, Morten Sodemann, University of Southern Denmark.

Narrative medicine is a scholarly discipline based on narrative theory, close reading, phenomenological inquiry, and creative writing that fortifies the clinical practices of all health disciplines with ways to honor the stories of people who seek and give care. Narrative medicine was created at Columbia University in 2000, and through partnerships the field has given rise to narrative medicine courses worldwide that give students and clinicians the opportunity to read, write, and reflect on clinical experiences. In recent years, new art-based intervention studies with patients have evolved under the same heading as “system narrative medicine”.

Narrative ethics was introduced in the 1990’s, and shared decision making in ethical dilemmas will always have a crucial role in narrative medicine. This book seeks to ask broad questions about how traumas are narrated and known, how they are conceived through art and treated in the health care system by methods of narrative medicine. These kinds of trauma could be adverse childhood events, sexual abuse, natural disasters, or trauma related to armed conflict, terrorism, persecution, etc.

We welcome proposals (that are interdisciplinary in nature) from disciplines that include literary studies, cultural studies, media studies, anthropology, psychology, psychoanalysis, history, philosophy, sociology, etc. We seek book chapters that range from approximately 5000-6000 words in length to include in this edited collection. 

We invite chapter proposals that explore a wide variety of topics such as:

          - to what extent can traumatic events be narrated, known, and measured?

          - how do narratives in art shape commonly held beliefs in society about e.g. rape trauma?

          - how may clinicians learn to ethically encounter trauma patients through literature?

          - could an adoption of Trauma Informed Care practices supplement narrative medicine?

          - how can art-based intervention studies address shared decision making with trauma patients, e.g. in ethical dilemmas?

          - in which way can creative/expressive writing and close/shared reading help patients heal or repair from trauma?

Please send a 300-word abstract, project title, and a brief bio in English to Anders Juhl Rasmussen and Morten Sodemann (Volume Editors) at: ajr@sdu.dk and msodemann@health.sdu.dk  by June 15, 2022.