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Paper short abstract

The research adopts an interdisciplinary approach to investigate kataribe's role from the perspectives of Narrative Exposure Therapy, testimonial therapy, and post-traumatic growth after the triple disaster in Tōhoku (Japan) by exploring two case studies of community-led initiatives.

Paper long abstract

The study focuses on the figure of the kataribe (storyteller-witness), who has historically played a central role in Japan's post-disaster reconstruction planning. These figures are recruited voluntarily through bottom-up activities by local groups and associations, and serve multiple purposes: (1) Revitalise the area through events, workshops, and exhibitions on local history, encouraging tourism in the region; (2) Contribute to the creation of an archival repository based on testimonial accounts; (3) Perform a pedagogical-educational function in the field of DRR.

Notwithstanding, little research has been done on the relationship between kataribe and their role as storytellers and guides for listeners at disaster sites or memorials. These activities, repeated over time, constitute a form of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), which, based on the principles of exposure therapy used in cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy, exposes the kataribe to habituation, thereby reducing dysfunctional emotional responses. The witness's activity can actively contribute to the reworking of traumatic memories associated with the event and promote the coherent reconstruction of one's own experience, leading to post-traumatic growth (PTG).

The study aims to explore two case studies of community-led initiatives that focus on the activities of kataribe, specifically the Tomioka Fukushima kataribe and RE: Project tsūshin of the Sendai Cultural Foundation, both of which emerged after the triple disaster in Tōhoku, Japan. In doing so, the research adopts an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the activities of kataribe from the perspectives of NET (Neuner, Schauer, Elbert, & Roth, 2002), testimonial therapy (Lira & Weinstein, 1983), and the possible implications of post-traumatic growth (Tedeschi et al., 2018). The ultimate goal is to demonstrate how testimonial activity is not only a form of empowerment for individuals that contributes to post-disaster community reconstruction, but also, and above all, it enables therapeutic outcomes and enhances mental well-being through the verbalisation of psychological trauma, reconstructing the fragmented identity of survivors, and acquiring new awareness of their value and role within the local community.