Exploring the Cultural Trauma Theory

Abstract: This is a study of the murder of the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, not as it actually occurred, but rather how it was mediated through representations in the media. The guiding research question is formulated as follows: Can the media representations of the murder of Olof Palme be understood as a case of an emergent trauma process? These representations covers only the first week after the murder. The aim of the study is to explore the theory of cultural trauma in order to find analytical aspects, or elements, that can be put to use in the empirical case, that is the murder of Olof Palme. As such, this study makes use of different theoretical elements form the work of sociologists Ron Eyerman and Jeffrey C. Alexander on the theory of cultural trauma. The focus point is cultural trauma as a socially constructed phenomenon, which is mediated through representation. Which, In this case, regards the representation through the mass media. Due to a limited empirical case, the goal is to find out whether the murder of Olof Palme can be seen as an emergent cultural trauma, rather then a full-blown version. My conclusion is as follows: Informed by the cultural trauma theory I think there are good reasons and valid empirical proofs to interpret the first week’s media representations of the murder of Olof Palme as an emergent trauma process.