Oneiric Witnessing: Dreamscapes of War
Humanities February 11, 2025 Magdalena Żółkoś
Wartime dream diaries serve as a testimonial practice that makes visible experiences hidden from public discourse and dominant narratives of war. Drawing on post-2022 Ukrainian dream diaries and the theories of Charlotte Beradt, Georges Didi-Huberman, and Wilfred Bion, the article argues that sharing dreams is not merely a constative speech act but a form of thinking about and acting on history. This ethical–political perspective frames dream sharing as a relational act of self-disclosure, not just a relay of content. To read records of war dreams is to be called upon to receive and offer hospitality to a dream.