The Inheritance We Carry
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This commentary explores the phenomenon of intergenerational trauma through personal narrative and evidence-based public health research. Using the history of partition, famine, and systemic oppression as anchors, it examines how displacement, scarcity, vigilance, and grief are transmitted across generations both psychologically and biologically. Drawing on research from refugee mental health, famine studies, and trauma psychiatry, the piece argues that trauma is carried forward in memory, biology, and culture, but so is resilience. By highlighting inherited vulnerabilities and strengths, the commentary underscores the role of public health in addressing historical trauma not only as a pathology but also as a possibility. It calls for policies and practices that validate inherited pain while amplifying cultural continuity and community resilience as protective factors.
DOI: 10.54111/001c.154493
Author: Hansini Kochhar
Institution: Maimonides Medical Center
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7125699830