ABSTRACT

As a traumatic event that seemed to come out of the blue, even if at some level it had been expected ever since 9/11, the London bombings had the effect of stopping many people in their tracks. Those who were directly involved, or those who had lived through anxious and uncertain times, not knowing whether those close to them had survived, or those who just felt fortunate to have escaped a fate that could have easily included them in some way, know that it is an event they will never forget. It was an event that helps to define the psychic map of a generation, and defines a landscape of fear they have lived with. Years later, people know that they will recall where they had been on that fateful day, just as previous generations recall the moment they heard about the death of President Kennedy in Dallas or of Princess Diana in Paris. These events help to define the times a generation has lived through, and they show that time is not linear but is constantly disrupted by events that people know they will have to ‘come to terms with’ in their own ways. It can provoke memories and associations that people can be surprised by and link present to past in new ways.