This introduction discusses a contextual approach to the study of insidious trauma in eastern African cultural production. It does so by first addressing the relationship between social, historical, and cultural aspects of trauma, on the one hand, and graphic practices of thematising trauma on the other. The second section outlines the volume’s key terms of reference, drawing on trauma research in the humanities and social sciences, especially in Africa. The next two sections specifically address the terms by which regional eastern Africa is understood, in respect to research on trauma and cultural production, as well as creative work that either approaches trauma as a thematic concern or else narrates characterisations of trauma. The final section maps out the structure of the individual chapters and provides concise descriptions of them.