Representing Anthropocene trauma: disaster narratives of the Bhopal gas tragedy in Indian cinema
Faculty Advisor
Date
2025
Keywords
sociology of media, trauma, Bhopal gas tragedy
Abstract (summary)
This chapter addresses the evolving genre of disaster adaptations as engaging spectacles of popular cinema. It contextualizes South Asian disasters in the Anthropocene and examines how the representation of trauma and violence defines the notion of disaster through which cinematic interventions blend fiction and reality. This study examines the infamous Bhopal gas tragedy in India in 1984, one of the worst industrial disasters in the world, as a cinematic text representing the cultural, environmental, and historical dimensions of the regional spaces in shaping the perception of an Anthropogenic disaster. It explores whether such adaptations are effective in educating the masses about the problems associated with environmental disasters that are imminent threats to the future.
Publication Information
Raj, S. J., & Suresh, A. K. (2025). Representing Anthropocene trauma: Disaster narratives of the Bhopal gas tragedy in Indian cinema. In Y. Lim & K. Y. Lye, Reading violence and trauma in Asia and the world (1st ed., pp. 50–62). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032628875-6
Notes
Item Type
Book Chapter
Language
Rights
All Rights Reserved