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Violent Histories and Embodied Memories: Affectivity of “The Act of Killing” and “The Look of Silence”

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The Indonesian Genocide of 1965

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in the History of Genocide ((PSHG))

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the capacity of visual media to produce an affective atmosphere capable of evoking embodied memories of intergenerational experiences of historical violence. Focusing on the detailed personal narrative of an Indisch (Indo-Dutch) descendant of survivors of the 1965–1966 killings living in the Netherlands, the chapter examines how she began to confront her personal family history and their connections to 1965 only after watching The Act of Killing (2012) and The Look of Silence (2014), documentaries by Joshua Oppenheimer et al. Dragojlovic argues that the spectator—a descendant of the 1965–1966 events—is overwhelmed by the affective atmosphere of the violent past, which necessitates a re-establishment of her affective connection to the past events and its incorporation within the present.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Ana Dragojlovic

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  1. Ana Dragojlovic
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Katharine McGregor

  2. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Jess Melvin

  3. University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia

    Annie Pohlman

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Dragojlovic, A. (2018). Violent Histories and Embodied Memories: Affectivity of “The Act of Killing” and “The Look of Silence”. In: McGregor, K., Melvin, J., Pohlman, A. (eds) The Indonesian Genocide of 1965. Palgrave Studies in the History of Genocide. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71455-4_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71455-4_14

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71454-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71455-4

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