This course offers an interdisciplinary encounter with three concepts of abiding interest to scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences: violence, trauma, and repair. We begin with theoretical considerations about violence and its role in the founding of new political orders. The second part tackles the question of trauma, a concept that has achieved a remarkable prominence across many disciplines. But this ascendance also brought with it a number of critiques, among them that the concept is often deployed in apolitical and romanticized terms. We take on these critiques by bringing into conversation works from varying contexts: the Rwandan genocide, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the Holocaust and Apartheid South Africa. The final part focuses on the consequences of violent acts and notions of repair formulated in the language of trauma, suffering and human rights. We ask: What is the operating rationale in this line of thinking about the contemporary world? How has it emerged, and through what kinds of institutions, interventions and techniques does it operate and extend its power across the globe? Consent required: Email Professor Nsabimana a paragraph long description about what you bring and what you hope to get out of this seminar.