Intergenerational transmission of historical memories and social-distance attitudes in post-war second-generation Croatians

Abstract

Intergenerational transmission of memory is a process by which biographical knowledge contributes to the construction of collective memory (representation of a shared past). We investigated the intergenerational transmission of war-related memories and social-distance attitudes in second-generation post-war Croatians. We compared 2 groups of young adults from (1) Eastern Croatia (extensively affected by the war) and (2) Western Croatia (affected relatively less by the war). Participants were asked to (a) recall the 10 most important events that occurred in one of their parents' lives, (b) estimate the calendar years of each, and (c) provide scale ratings on them. Additionally, (d) all participants completed a modified Bogardus Social Distance scale, as well as an (e) War Events Checklist for their parents' lives. There were several findings. First, approximately two-thirds of Eastern Croatians and one-half of Western Croatians reported warrelated events from their parents' lives. Second, war-related memories impacted the second-generation's identity to a greater extent than did non-war-related memories; this effect was significantly greater in Eastern Croatians than in Western Croatians. Third, war-related events displayed markedly different mnemonic characteristics than non-war-related events. Fourth, the temporal distribution of events surrounding the war produced an upheaval bump, suggesting major transitions (e.g., war) contribute to the way collective memory is formed. And, finally, outright social ostracism and aggression toward out-groups were rarely expressed, independent of region. Nonetheless, social-distance scores were notably higher in Eastern Croatia than in Western Croatia.

Personal and Intergenerational Narratives of Transgression and Pride in Emerging Adulthood: Links to Gender and Well‐Being

“…We note that there is an extensive qualitative literature on the intergenerational transmission of traumatic memories and war which finds both conflicting and supporting evidence for the idea that knowledge of previous generations' trauma may be related to well‐being. Much of this literature focuses on what happens when narratives are not told, and trauma is silenced (see Danieli, for a review; Tschuggnall & Welzer, ; Svob et al, ). Baker and Gippenreiter (), for example, find positive effects on well‐being for individuals researching one's previously‐silenced intergenerational history of trauma.…”

“…Intergenerational narratives provide implicit and explicit frameworks by modeling gender and cultural norms of storytelling, and more explicitly sharing values and how to understand human behavior (Pratt, Norris, Hebblethwaite, & Arnold, ; Ryan, Pearce, Anas, & Norris, ; Svob, Brown, Takšić, Katulić, & Žauhar, ; Zaman & Fivush, ). Family storytelling occurs multiple times within families' daily conversations, strengthening bonds among members and reinforcing family values and identity from as early as children's infancy (Bohanek et al, ; Fiese, Hooker, Kotary, Schwagler, & Rimmer, ; Koenig Kellas, ; Pratt & Fiese, ).…”

Intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: putative role of epigenetic mechanisms

“…Presently, there are discussions about the impact of historical events such as colonization, slavery and displacement trauma in many cultures, including First Nations and native American communities, African Americans, Australian aboriginals and New Zealand Maori, as well as in societies exposed to genocide, ethnic cleansing or war, such as Cambodians, Armenians, Rwandans, Palestinians, and communities in the former Yugoslavia. There is also a growing literature about offspring effects following early maternal childhood maltreatment.…”

How Facebook, fake news and friends are warping your memory

“…In a study published last year 8 , they reported that the children of Croatians who had lived through the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s were more likely to recall their parents' war-related experiences -getting shot, for example, or the house being bombed -than their non-war-related ones, such as marriage or birth of a first child. Wars, like immigration, bring great upheaval in their wake, and so are highly memorable, says Svob. This 'transition theory' she says, could also explain one of the biggest voids in Westerners' collective memory of the twentieth century -why they easily recall the two world wars, but not the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-20 that probably killed more than either of them.…”