Rebecca Moran

University of New South Wales

Thesis Title

Meaning-making, social action, and politicised victimhood: Personal and political dialogues on child sexual abuse

Supervisor

Michael Salter, Jan Breckenridge

Research Questions

What is the impact of social/political action by survivors of child sexual abuse on processes of individual and collective meaning-making in the aftermath of trauma?
Where does survivor testimony sit in public debate and politics, and what are the implications of this?
What are the impacts (if any) of public testimony and political participation on survivors’ healing and recovery from trauma?

Whose research influences you?

Michael Salter, Jessica Benjamin, Kelly Oliver, Nancy Whittier, Vikki Reynolds, Donna Hicks

Are you a lived-experience researcher?

Yes

If so, how does lived or consumer experience shape your research?

My initial question grew out of my own experience of politicising my experiences of child sexual abuse and trauma, and using this politicised narrative as a powerful tool in social action, activism, and advocacy for the establishment of better mental health and criminal justice systems. I noticed that many other survivors do the same thing, in different ways: see Robert Lifton’s (1976) and Judith Herman’s (1992) conceptualisation of the ‘survivor mission’. This felt like a powerful social and psychological phenomena, which has largely remained unexplored. Exploring survivor missions became part of my own survivor mission.

My lived experienced also impacts on my personal values and practices as a researcher. In working out my methodology, I developed a framework for trauma-informed qualitative research, as there was no such framework available for me to reference or be guided by. I believe that participation in research can be transformative and empowering for participants; but that we must be careful it does not exploit, distress, re-traumatise, or disempower participants.