106 years later: a study of historical trauma as a phenomenon

Abstract

The paper presents a qualitative case study of historical trauma among the descendants of Bulgarian survivors of ethnic cleansing in Western Thrace in 1913, in the village of Chernichevo, Krumovgrad area. In-depth interviews are conducted in order to explore the community narrative that has reached the next generations through various mechanisms of transgenerational memory transmission, as well as the emotional, mental and behavioral reactions they experience while remembering the destiny of their ancestors. The author's conclusion is that more than a century after the dramatic events, trauma is a live and active phenomenon that is involved in the construction of modern generations’ psychological reality. Interview data are summarized and commented, and guidance for possible future research is offered.