Trigger Warnings: History, Theory, Context

With “triggered” as Google’s most searched word of 2016, trigger warnings have become a prevalent yet controversial concept in American higher education and society. As the debate over the value and place of triggering material continues, Trigger Warnings: History, Theory, Context provides the historical context and theoretical analysis of the use of trigger and content warnings in academia. This important edited collection examines the history, theories, and ethics of trigger warnings and presents case studies from instructors and students describing instances when trigger warnings were and were not used. By exploring the issue through several scholarly lenses and providing examples of when trigger warnings may or may not be used effectively, Trigger Warnings provides rigorous analysis of the controversy

Table of Contents:
Introduction. On Trigger Warnings Emily J.M. Knox Part I: History and Theory Chapter 1. Like Trapdoors: A History of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Trigger Warning Sarah Colbert Chapter 2. Accessibility on Campus: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Duty to Accommodate, and Trigger Warnings Holly Taylor Chapter 3. Contagious Speech: Mediating the Eating Disorder Panic Through Trigger Warnings Stephanie Grey Chapter 4. Gender Constructions and Trauma: Trigger Warnings as an Accommodation for Female Students in Higher Education Jordan Doll Chapter 5. Walking on the Shards of the Glass Ceiling Jane Gavin-Hebert Chapter 6. An “App” for That: The Case Against an ‘Equal Access’ Bonnie Washick Chapter 7. Writing Policy About Trigger Warnings: The Experience of the American Association of University Professors and the American Library Association Barbara M. Jones Part II: Case Studies Chapter 8. Institution-Wide Trigger Warnings: A Case Study of a University’s ‘Common Reading’ Joe C. Martin & B

About the Author :
Emily J. M. Knox is assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Her research interests include information access, intellectual freedom and censorship, information ethics, information policy, and the intersection of print culture and reading practices. Knox’s book Book Banning in 21st-Century America (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) was the first book in the Beta Phi Mu Scholars Series.

Review :
All the chapters are worth reading.... The book, as the editor hopes, is indeed fodder for discussion. Knox should be commended for compiling such a compelling collection of essays and case studies that really forces the reader to think critically about trigger warnings. A timely and needed interdisciplinary compendium detailing the historical, legal, pedagogical, and practical context of trigger warnings. With arguments and case examples from a variety of vantage points, this edited collection provides a strong foundational basis to understand the promises and pitfalls of trigger warnings. Trigger Warnings is a nuanced look at the background and practice of the hot academic intellectual freedom topic of the day. The contributors don't always agree with each other, but they do provide a thoughtful introduction to the concerns, and the classroom reality, of a shift to a more student-centered and consciously inclusive educational style. Strongly recommended for all academic collections.