Reply to Our Critics

We thank Peter Gatrell, Volker M. Heins, and Leo Lucassen for their insightful critiques on The Cultural Trauma of Decolonization. Colonial Returnees in the National Imagination. Their comments show that the history of postcolonial migrations remains an important, and under-exploited, strategic research material. They also highlight the potential fruitfulness of cultural trauma theory to analyse at least some dimensions of their impacts. All participants have added some probing questions to our – already long – list. In our response, we review their critiques, trying to suggest ways in which they may be incorporated in future research.