From Suez to Suez: an autoethnographic study of transgenerational trauma

Purpose The term transgenerational trauma describes a process whereby trauma responses may be transmitted through a number of generations. This paper aims to increase understanding of the mechanisms behind transgenerational trauma by tracing the transmission of the effects of the author’s grandfather’s post-traumatic stress disorder, arising from his involvement in some of the worst actions of WWI, through his mother to himself. Design/methodology/approach The approach uses the autoethnographic paradigm to elucidate some of the mechanisms involved in the transmission of trauma responses from one generation to the next. Findings The paper demonstrates how upsetting childhood experiences of the author had their origin in his mother’s wartime experience a decade earlier, which themselves were influenced by his grandfather’s wartime experience 30 years before that. Originality/value The originality of the research rests on the fact that it is a study of three generations of one particular family. However, its value lies in the applicability of its results in a wider context.