Trigger Warnings: History, Theory, Context, edited by Emily J. M. Knox

Abstract

Since its emergence as a complicated and controversial topic in higher education, trigger warnings have spread beyond academia into popular culture. To be “triggered” has entered the vernacular, and usually with negative connotations about the sensibilities of the one being triggered. Emily Knox’s timely book provides multiple viewpoints on trigger warnings within the context of how trauma and its aftereffects impact the educational process, while also exploring the potentially negative impact of trigger warnings on intellectual freedom. Through a combination of theoretical essays, historical examinations, and case studies, this collection of essays provides a variety of perspectives that, in combination, will challenge any reader’s preconceptions about the topic.