Intergenerational Trauma in Refugee Communities

Edited by Laura Kromják (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Global and Development Studies) and Ajlina Karamehić-Muratović (Saint Louis University in Saint Louis, Department of Sociology and Anthropology), the book, Intergenerational Trauma in Refugee Communities, is the first publication to employ a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating various social research methodologies in diverse cultural contexts to examine the mechanisms and transgenerational effects of trauma transmission.

This volume, which is included in the Routledge Memory Studies: Global Constellations book series, features 16 case studies by 27 authors. Each case study offers insights into the lives and experiences of a specific refugee community. Considering geographical and cultural representation, the editors include cases from 10 countries across six continents, offering new perspectives on the global issues of transgenerational memory and trauma.

Although the research presented in each chapter relies on different methodologies, the overarching objective is shared: to analyse the effects of trauma in different cultural and social contexts and to explore how refugees' histories and identity positions shape societal integration. The case studies cover a range of topics, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), refugee rights, integration, identity formation, as well as healing and resilience.

“The role of transgenerational trauma and memory in the identity and social well-being of refugees is a relatively underexplored topic in academic literature, yet understanding it is crucial for successful integration and promoting community healing. The book emphasizes how trauma’s effects extend not only to the directly traumatised generations but also to the following generations, and how social and political environments influence these intergenerational connections,”—highlights Laura Kromják. Kromják and her co-editor also contributed a chapter to the book.

Their study, titled The Elephant in the Room: Experiences of Intergenerational Trauma in Second-Generation Bosnian Americans, is one of the first studies to analyse the transgenerational transmission of trauma within the Bosnian American refugee community nearly 30 years after the devastating war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The editors and authors aim to introduce new perspectives into academic and public discourse, as well as interdisciplinary research projects, focusing on social inclusion, transgenerational trauma, and its political consequences.

The volume is not only a valuable resource for the academic community but also serves as an educational tool in institutions, particularly in seminars analysing comparative and international research, and training sessions designed to foster intercultural sensitivity.