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Trauma and Telling: Examining the Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma Through Silence

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Date Issued:
2016
Summary:
In recent decades there has been a great deal of scholarly and scientific work examining both the impact and the transmission of trauma. The focus of this thesis is the transmission of the trauma of genocide and large-scale historical traumas, specifically that seen in the Holocaust and the missionization of the California Indians in the 18th century. Through the analysis of the autobiographical narratives composed by three generations of Holocaust survivors, as well as one composed by a later generation descendant of the California Mission Indians, I argue that silence is not only a manifestation of trauma but also a tool of its transmission. I further argue that when this silence is broken and the stories are told we begin to see a shift in the traumatic memory away from re-traumatizing the later generations and toward preserving an accurate historical memory without the significant psychological cost to the later generations.
Title: Trauma and Telling: Examining the Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma Through Silence.
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Name(s): Murray, Jennifer, author
Hagood, Taylor, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Department of English
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2016
Date Issued: 2016
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 65 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: In recent decades there has been a great deal of scholarly and scientific work examining both the impact and the transmission of trauma. The focus of this thesis is the transmission of the trauma of genocide and large-scale historical traumas, specifically that seen in the Holocaust and the missionization of the California Indians in the 18th century. Through the analysis of the autobiographical narratives composed by three generations of Holocaust survivors, as well as one composed by a later generation descendant of the California Mission Indians, I argue that silence is not only a manifestation of trauma but also a tool of its transmission. I further argue that when this silence is broken and the stories are told we begin to see a shift in the traumatic memory away from re-traumatizing the later generations and toward preserving an accurate historical memory without the significant psychological cost to the later generations.
Identifier: FA00004616 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): California -- History -- To 1846.
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Psychological aspects.
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Personal narratives.
Indians, Treatment of -- California -- History.
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004616
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.