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Wounds Turning into Scars: Transgenerational Trauma in Contemporary Native American and First Nations Novels

Fachgebiet: Amerikanistik

Betreuer: PD Dr. René Dietrich

Abstract:

In a theoretical approach that combines trauma studies and Indigenous studies, this dissertation project explores how transgenerational trauma and the healing of pain inflicted through trauma is represented in five contemporary Indigenous novels: The Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power, Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah, Split Tooth by Tanja Tagaq, as well as Tommy Orange’s There There and its sequel Wandering Stars. The thesis examines how the characters are confronted with transgenerational trauma and how it leaves them feeling disconnected, while also assessing the characters’ ways of overcoming trauma-induced suffering. Additionally, the literary analysis focuses on how the novels formal elements, such as multi-perspectivity or multigenre, reflect the theme of transgenerational trauma. Drawing on trauma studies, literary studies, Indigenous studies, and decolonial studies, the thesis aims to determine and expand on connections between these fields of research regarding Indigenous literary negotiations of transgenerational trauma.