Silencing historical trauma: The politics and psychology of memory and voice.

Abstract

Considerable research has been published linking traumatic historical events, silence, and diverse psychological consequences. Silence about historical trauma is common among survivors, often creating impediments to healing and recovery and serving as a medium through which the intergenerational effects of catastrophic experiences are transmitted. Understanding the origins of this silence is important for psychologists concerned with the experience of those who have survived major assaults.This article proposes a multifaceted model of the silence accompanying historical trauma, drawing on some of the first oral histories conducted with Korean Americans about personal and family experiences during the Korean War. It examines (1) the enforcing of silence among Korean Americans by the state, community, and family, and by unresolved individual trauma; (2) memories hidden in that silence; and (3) public remembering expressed through the arts as a means of breaking silences and fostering healing.(The Commission) also sought to contribute to the process of reconciliation by ensuring that the truth about the past included the validation of the individual subjective experiences of people who had previously been silenced or voiceless. South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Final Report. October 29, 1999. This article examines the role of silence in the relation between catastrophic historical events and unreconciled trauma based on a case study of Korean American survivors of the catastrophic events of the Korean War. It proposes a multilayered model of the silencing of historical memories involving political, social, and

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