[Honolulu] : [University of Hawaii at Manoa], [December 2016]
Abstract
MA University of Hawaii at Manoa 2016Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103–116).This study examines the effect of place on recovery, care, and empowerment models of trauma rehabilitation for female survivors of the commercial sex trade and human trafficking in two residential facilities in India: one in rural Bihar and one in urban Mumbai. It focuses on the ideological, socio-cultural, and physical aspects of landscape that drive differences between rural and urban rehabilitation practices and opportunities for growth and learning. These differences affect survivors’ development of place attachment, self-identity, and hope for the future. The case studies are contextualized within the broader scope of gendered political economy in India to discuss the ways political economy mediates gendered trauma care and informs the ability of survivors living in the margins to re-imagine their futures. Through a place-based analysis of marginalization, prejudice, and stigma, I also discuss the ways sense of place and trauma impact identity development and place-based empowerment models
