Abstract

After a person has experienced significant trauma they may reasonably claim, “I am a different person now.” This paper explores how the case of the trauma victim seems to present a challenge for metaphysical theories for identity, and whether we need a different, or additional, philosophical framework to properly evaluate it. To address this issue, the paper considers accounts from victims of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. This thesis argues that we not only require an additional apparatus to give the trauma victim’s claim the legitimacy it deserves, but also that one already exists.