title: Metonymic objects, cultural practices and narrative repair: Sri Lankan responses to the Indian Ocean tsunami.
abstract: The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami resulted in a tragic loss of life and immense suffering. This article explores the ways in which a group of people from Sri Lanka worked to address the disruption to their life narratives caused by the loss of loved ones. We go beyond a focus on 'talk' in narrative research in health psychology to explore the importance of material objects in sustaining continued bonds with the deceased. This article provides an alternative to the tendency in mainstream psychology to pathologise grief and highlights the importance of culturally patterned responses to disaster.
authors.affiliation: University of Waikato, New Zealand gsc7@waikato.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Shemana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cassim
authors.affiliation: University of Waikato, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ottilie
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Stolte
authors.affiliation: University of Waikato, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Darrin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hodgetts
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003469:Culture; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D019156:Indian Ocean; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D013188:Sri Lanka; D057192:Tsunamis
keywords: cultural practice; disaster; material objects; narrative recovery; tsunami