“The Contours and Controversies of Perpetrator Trauma” by Saira Mohamed

In this book chapter, legal scholar Saira Mohamed explores the field of and the resistance against research on perpetrator trauma. Combining – and problematizing – recent theorizations of the concept of trauma and existing definitions of “perpetrator”, she argues that perpetrators can experience their own crimes or wrongs as trauma: “the trauma that is experienced by the person who commits some wrong because of committing that wrong” (265). However, she notes that while this definition is rather broad, the scholarly investigation into perpetrator trauma has been rather limited, focussing on mass atrocity. Additionally, she recognizes unease around engagement with the topic and discusses the controversies around perpetrator trauma. First of all, the concept of perpetrator trauma challenges the assumption that trauma is exclusive to victims. Some studies that consider the trauma of perpetrators even position perpetrators as victims, mostly as (1) victims of a system with a lack of choice or (2) victims of history and its power structures. Secondly, perpetrator trauma complicates the association of trauma and moral status, as often the traumatized are victims of an external moral wrong, who then can demand recognition and respect. Thirdly, perpetrator trauma also raises ethical concerns around identification and witnessing, as the witnessing of someone’s trauma is traditionally constructed as an ethical, and even participatory practice.

Mohamed argues that trauma is not inherently connected to victims. She posits that investigation into perpetrator trauma leads to a better understanding of perpetrators in general which could contribute to the prevention of future crimes. She sees possibilities for investigation into the differences in trauma experience of perpetrators within a range of different contexts and positionalities, as well as examination of collective and intergenerational trauma. Importantly, she argues for precision when employing the term perpetrator trauma. She declares that the notion of perpetrator trauma should remain distinct from trauma experienced by individuals in lawful military combat in which they do not perpetrate wrongs.

This article pays attention to a very specific aspect of the perpetrator’s experience, perpetrator trauma, which, Mohamed argues, needs to be examined in order to better understand perpetrators, the choices they make, and how they deal with their actions after the fact. Mohamed provides a comprehensive overview of the objections against research on perpetrator trauma and also presents an alternative approach towards these controversies. She also identifies interesting gaps within the research of perpetrators and her argument that military trauma differs from perpetrator trauma can also be up for investigation.

Author of this entry: Dewi Kopp

Mohamed, Saira. “The Contours and Controversies of Perpetrator Trauma.” In The Routledge International Handbook of Perpetrator Studies, Edited by Susanne C. Knittel and Zachary J. Goldberg, 265-275. London: Routledge, 2020.