Cultural Empathy and Jarring Trauma in the Color of Our Sky: A Study of Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity

Abstract

Amita Trasi's The Color of Our Sky is a powerful work of cultural empathy that leaves the reader’s feeling shaken by its jarring trauma. This book shed light on the cultural empathy and jarring trauma that have caused Indian outcasts, especially Bagnios, to perceive their traditions as a danger to their fundamental collective identities. The readers are profoundly affected by the terrible and depressing circumstances that the Indian outcasts live in. The narrative deepens the character development of those on both sides of the conflict, fostering narrative and cultural empathy and overcoming cultural gaps. The disturbing account of events illustrates the appalling conditions that the Indian population is living in. The concept of the caste system in India is explored in The Color of Our Sky, as well as how much it influences people's existences. That is how Mukta came to be. Frauen in her caste, which was lower than others, dedicate their lives to becoming the goddess' ally. This work of fiction will be studied using philosophical concepts of cultural empathy, narrative empathy, and jarring trauma with theoretical values of cultural trauma and collective identity. The ideas of Suzanne Keen, John Carlson and Jeffrey C. Alexander will have been used to analyse the text in question utilizing the theories of cultural trauma and collective identity. There will be qualitative research involved by using the idea of cultural empathy, the researcher will attempt to examine the perturbed work of this novel using critical analytical approaches.

Keywords: Cultural trauma, jarring trauma, empathetic culture, narrative empathy, collective identity, and cognizant narrative

DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/73-02

Publication date: April 30^th 2024