Papers by Phoenicia Lewis
Historical Trauma scholarship in the last decade has focused on indigenous groups, particularly i... more Historical Trauma scholarship in the last decade has focused on indigenous groups, particularly in the Americas. Even a quick glance at health disparities and high suicide rates on reservations in the United States (US), and at high rates of poverty and violence of first nations people in Canada, seems to illustrate a larger problem; this problem stems from past trauma. Nevertheless, delving into the history of many marginalized groups in post-colonial societies as well as the developed world one would be hard pressed not to find a group with a historic traumatic event, one that has resulted in the transmission of the pain of that experience through numerous generations and has been maintained via oppressive structures. However, in fields of conflict resolution, trauma, justice, and development, historical trauma is a concept more often than not unknown or ignored. How can something so important be so dismissed within academia?
This paper brings historical trauma to the forefront in order to elevate voices writing about historical trauma within their communities, and to increase the visibility of a concept that must be understood if there is hope for change globally. Through section I, the authors will cite historical trauma scholars (often members of groups experiencing historical trauma themselves) to explore what historical trauma is on the theoretical level as well as the ways it manifests in the physical, mental, and emotional health of communities who experience the pain of the past in their present life. Various aspects of historical trauma will be examined, including the collective nature of historical trauma, the intergenerational transmission, and the mechanisms of transmission. In section II, the authors will explore the intensifying, problematic effects that power dynamics have on historical trauma and the groups who carry it, further justifying the elevation of the concept of historical trauma. Finally, in section III, the case will be made for group-defined collective healing practices.
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Papers by Phoenicia Lewis
This paper brings historical trauma to the forefront in order to elevate voices writing about historical trauma within their communities, and to increase the visibility of a concept that must be understood if there is hope for change globally. Through section I, the authors will cite historical trauma scholars (often members of groups experiencing historical trauma themselves) to explore what historical trauma is on the theoretical level as well as the ways it manifests in the physical, mental, and emotional health of communities who experience the pain of the past in their present life. Various aspects of historical trauma will be examined, including the collective nature of historical trauma, the intergenerational transmission, and the mechanisms of transmission. In section II, the authors will explore the intensifying, problematic effects that power dynamics have on historical trauma and the groups who carry it, further justifying the elevation of the concept of historical trauma. Finally, in section III, the case will be made for group-defined collective healing practices.
This paper brings historical trauma to the forefront in order to elevate voices writing about historical trauma within their communities, and to increase the visibility of a concept that must be understood if there is hope for change globally. Through section I, the authors will cite historical trauma scholars (often members of groups experiencing historical trauma themselves) to explore what historical trauma is on the theoretical level as well as the ways it manifests in the physical, mental, and emotional health of communities who experience the pain of the past in their present life. Various aspects of historical trauma will be examined, including the collective nature of historical trauma, the intergenerational transmission, and the mechanisms of transmission. In section II, the authors will explore the intensifying, problematic effects that power dynamics have on historical trauma and the groups who carry it, further justifying the elevation of the concept of historical trauma. Finally, in section III, the case will be made for group-defined collective healing practices.