This book centers on encounters of care in literary works. It introduces an interdisciplinary reading of conflict narratives at the intersection of literary studies and medicine. In analogy to narrative medicine, which centers on the use of literature and narrative skills in medical encounters, narrative reconciliation asks to what extent the humanities may learn from medical thought and knowledge, specifically, from the practice of medical history-taking. By employing what is dubbed here an anamnestic reading of conflict narratives, the reader is supported in confronting, approaching, and understanding painful memories and experiences. This interdisciplinary reading of works addressing ethnic conflict emphasizes their significance as more than stories of atrocities, injustice, or trauma, but as stories that can also be read for reconciliation when approached from a perspective of care.

PD Dr. habil. Britta Muszeika is currently a lecturer for special tasks at the Institute of English and American Studies at Bielefeld University. Her research focuses on medical humanities, life writing, postcolonialism, reconciliation studies, ethnic studies (e.g. indigenous studies) and transcultural studies.