Trauma and Partition: A Comparative Study of Select Short Stories from the Anthology “No Return Address: Partition and Stories of Displacement”

This study dissects the intricate narratives of trauma and recovery as delineated in “No Return Address: Partition and Stories of Displacement.” The paper employs trauma and postcolonial studies to examine the psychological and societal echoes of the 1947 India-Pakistan partition, focusing on individual and collective experiences, memory, and identity. Through a comparative analysis of characters Jethamoshai and Pishi in stories by Manjira Majumdar and Monideepa Sahu, the paper illuminates the multifaceted nature of trauma responses and their intersection with postcolonial identities. It emphasizes the transformative role of storytelling and the potency of refugee narratives in counteracting monolithic historical accounts, thereby enriching the discourse on postcolonial trauma and identity amid the complex legacies of displacement and colonialism.