Intergenerational Trauma in Refugee Communities

This volume explores intergenerational trauma among refugee communities displaced throughout the world.

Considering patterns and findings across disciplines, cultural contexts, and methodologies, the volume addresses the way trauma is passed on generationally among populations characterized by a large exodus from various regions, and communities in which intergenerational trauma can be observed among second-generation youth. Drawing on studies of displaced communities worldwide, this comprehensive and interdisciplinary analysis examines the effects of transgenerational trauma. It explores definitions and concepts of intergenerational trauma, comparing and contrasting perspectives across generations, and the mechanisms at work in its transmission.

The volume is well suited for scholars across social sciences with interests in memory studies, political violence, and refugee and diaspora studies.

Laura Kromják is Assistant Professor in the Department of Global and Development Studies, Institute of Political and International Studies, ELTE Faculty of Social Sciences in Budapest, Hungary. She teaches migration, international development and European Union related subjects, and her regional focus is the Western Balkans. Her interests include trauma research, memory politics and reconciliation in post-conflict societies. Her work also focuses on post-war family dynamics, especially the challenges facing elderly population both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its diaspora.

Ajlina Karamehic-Muratovic is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, where she teaches health-related and research methodology courses. Her interdisciplinary research is health- and community-focused, with an emphasis on issues facing refugees and immigrants. Her research interests also include mental health beliefs and stigma among Arab youth in the Middle East.