Intergenerational Memory: Revival of Trauma, Dersim Massacre, COVID-19 Pandemic

Unraveling the Anthropocene: Race, Environment, and Pandemic

In this episode, LAC member Müge Gedik interviews Berfin Çiçek, a graduate student in Cultural Studies at Sabancı University in Turkey. They discuss Berfin’s project on the revival of trauma and intergenerational memory catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Berfin takes the testimony of a member from the descendent generation of Dersim massacre victims from Turkey, his grandfather, into the focus of her project while exploring how traumatic experiences trigger each other and create an intergenerational memory in general, and more specifically, during the COVID-19 quarantine. Berfin considers testimonials crucial evidence and attributes to established theories, mostly by Cathy Caruth and Dori Laub.