Head of RPE Co-Authors Article in International Studies Journal
Author: Richmond American University London
We are delighted to share that Dr. Kandida Purnell, Head of Research and Professional Engagement and Associate Professor of International Relations at Richmond, has co-authored a new article in Millennium: Journal of International Studies, one of the field’s most highly regarded journals.
The piece, titled “Memory After Disaster: Recovery, Embodied Trauma and the Covid-19 Pandemic”, was co-written with Amy Cortvriend, Lucy Easthope (a leading public voice on disaster recovery), and Jenny Edkins (an internationally renowned scholar of politics and memory). It was first presented at the Millennium conference in November last year.
The article explores how embodied traumatic events—such as the Covid-19 pandemic—are inherently political. Rather than viewing recovery as a simple process of healing or forgetting, the authors argue that trauma disrupts dominant narratives and can open space for activism, systemic transformation, and new socio-political orders.
This perspective challenges traditional approaches to disaster recovery, which often prioritise medicalisation or a return to “normal.” Instead, the article highlights how many may resist such technocratic solutions and instead channel their experiences into political engagement and demands for change.
Read the full article here: Memory After Disaster: Recovery, Embodied Trauma and the Covid-19 Pandemic
