Intergenerational Transference of Collective Trauma in the Exilic Lives of Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees

Title

Intergenerational Transference of Collective Trauma in the Exilic Lives of Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees

Creator

B, Riswana; Gopal, Baiju

Description

The present study explores the intergenerational transference of collective trauma among the Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees (SLTR). Thirty-three in-depth interviews were conducted across first, second, and third generation SLTR living at the refugee camps in Tamil Nadu, India. The study found that the traumatic experiences and internal conflicts associated with exile among the first-generation participants (FGP) and second-generation participants (SGP) are primarily channeled through social customs and parenting styles. Refugee identity and correlated difficulties are constituted as collective trauma. The motive for resolving the fragmented self was unconscious replicated nightmares among the participants. Irrespective of generations, participants unconsciously tried to reintegrate their fragmented collective existence. The FGP and SGP passed the Sri Lankan Tamil culture onto their offspring, imposing expectations on the next generation to reclaim Tamil land and sustain cultural legacies. The study highlighted that helping behavior differs across generations, influenced by the encountered atrocities. Further extensive research on humanitarian rehabilitation policies is needed for their collective social integration. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025.

Source

Journal of International Migration and Integration;Volume;27;Issue;1;pp.535-561

Date

01-01-2026

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media B.V.

Subject

Collective trauma; Fragmented self; Intergenerational transference; Living in exile; Refugee identity; Sri Lankan Tamil refugees

Coverage

B R., Research Scholar, School of Psychological Sciences, Christ University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Government Arts & Science College Nadapuram, Kerala, Kozhikode, India; Gopal B., Professor, School of Psychological Sciences, CHRIST University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India

Rights

Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library

Relation

ISSN: 14883473;

Format

online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-025-01308-3

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105016529243?origin=resultslist