Representation of Religious Trauma in Sefi Attah`s “Hailstones from Zamfara” in News from Home and Other Stories
Keywords:
Religious Trauma, Faith-based Violence, Sefi AttahAbstract
This study examines Sefi Attah’s depiction of the psychological burden on women of the trauma of violence and projects religion as a factor which engenders that violence. This is with a view to identifying the patterns of faith-based domestic violence, and their implications on the psychological and emotional well-being of the victims. The study employed qualitative descriptive content analysis. It draws its theoretical insight from Rational Choice Theory (Tedeschi & Felson, 1994). This is relevant to the study because it attempts at providing a link between domestic abuse and religion. The study revealed that the private and personal lives of women are one of the unrecognised issues which affect their mental health. The findings further showed that there is degradation and the sublime traumatisation of women under the guise of religion in some cases. Moreover, victims of faith-based violence experience layers of complex psychological distress as a result of being constantly abused in marriage. It concludes that religious practices which enforce male dominance are central to the aggressive and violent tendencies exhibited by perpetuators of domestic violence.
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