Sita’s Unresolved Pain: A Theoretical Analysis of Cultural Trauma in Valmiki’s Ramayana

The article theoretically substantiated the approach to the study of cultural trauma through the analysis of memories of generations, characterized by signs of injury. Scientific tasks involved the identification of events that construct two generations of memories of a particular historical period and an analysis of how these events can be characterized as a cultural trauma. The study used survey methods and in-depth interviews. The sample was 83 respondents. The content of collective memories testifies to the marked signs of cultural trauma, which is associated with a certain historical period: for the generation of 1961—1975. These are the events of the late 80s — early 90s, which determine the beginning of changes in the political and economic system: perestroika, the collapse of the USSR; for the generation of “children of war”, this event is the Great Patriotic War and the postwar period. Theoretical analysis and empirical research suggest that cultural trauma is reflected in the memories of generations. The study also recorded post-memory processes, — the attitude of the younger generation to the traumatic events of the twentieth century, which are beyond personal experience.

Background: Trauma as a fact of collective perception plays an important role in the formation of collective identities in modern Western societies. A sociological analysis of Alexander's cultural trauma aims to explain the symbolic mechanisms behind the construction of trauma. Its explanatory power is illustrated by the example of events in pre-war Ukraine. Purpose: Analyze events in Ukraine using the concept of cultural trauma. Methods: To achieve the goal, the method of analysis of events and facts was used, as well as theoretical analysis of sources related to the concept of cultural trauma. Results: Analysis of events in Ukraine through the concept of cultural trauma by J. Alexander revealed a direct link between trauma and mediatization of traumatic objects. Conclusion: Thus, we analyzed the socio-cultural context of events in Ukraine based on the concept of "cultural trauma". The signs and areas that were affected by it are highlighted. The characteristics of cultural trauma are named and examples of events and practices, both individual and collective, are given, which contributed to the creation of historical and cultural memory. Keywords: cultural trauma, social construct, events, J. Alexander, sociocultural context.

Introduction. Ukraine is experiencing a great upheaval - a large-scale war. This distressing situation affects the entire population of the country, therefore, beyond any doubt, the term "collective traumatization" can be used for today's situation in Ukraine. Modern research and study of the impact of collective trauma in Ukraine refers to the analysis of its negative consequences on various spheres of life, including the sphere of mental health: identification of the level of anxiety, psychological consequences, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorders. Although, the study of the impact of a powerful collective trauma on future generations Ukrainians needs timely planning and preparation. The aim of study: to conduct a theoretical analysis of approaches to the study of the concept of "collective trauma", to study the concept of memory in the understanding of collective trauma, to analyze the peredictors and preventors of transgenerational transmission of collective trauma, to consider the epigenetic mechanisms of collective trauma, to investigate the research psychometric tools on the transmission of transgenerational trauma between generations, to investigate the specifics of the collective trauma of the population of Ukraine. Method. A literature search was conducted in the scientific databases of Web of Science, Scopus, Pub Med, Google Scholar using the keywords "collective trauma", "traumatic memory", "transgenerational trauma", "cultural trauma", "multigenerational legacies of trauma" in the period from 2002 to 2023. 17,720 sources were identified. Inclusion criteria were: (a) controlled randomized research (b) on preventors and predictors of transmission of collective trauma (c) to subsequent generations. The results. 46 international publications were included in the literature review, and predictors and preventers of the transmission of trauma through generations were analyzed from the standpoint of attachment theory, family systems, and epigenetics. Most authors note the presence of a link between the parents' trauma and the mental health of the offspring, the greater intensity of the reparative adaptive styles the greater is the risk of developing affective or anxiety disorders in the offspring. The studies of epigenetic mechanisms of the transgenerational impact of trauma have shown the presence of changes in the methylation of the FKMB-5 gene in Holocaust survivors and their descendants. The collective trauma experienced by the people of Ukraine at the times of war has its own specificity, which distinguishes it from other collective traumas, including those experienced directly by the Ukrainian people in the past (the Holodomor, the Second World War, the Holocaust, the disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant). In order to further conduct research and study the transmission of war trauma in Ukraine through subsequent generations and to identify possible factors of resistance, the "Danieli Inventory of Multigenerational legacies of trauma" was adapted for the Ukrainian context of war (Appendix 1). Conclusions. Research on a topic of multigenerational legacies of collective trauma is a debatable issue. Research on factors of transgenetic changes in large groups in Ukraine is needed. Research on the next generations should include (a) large-scale genetic studies, (b) analysis on plevalence and distribution of mental health disorders in children of war veterans and the survivors of collective trauma, (c) changes in social behavior of the new generations.

<i>The Politics of Consolation: Memory and the Meaning of September 11</i>. By Christina Simko. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. Pp. xii+290.

В статье представлен анализ этнической идентичности российских армян в контексте культурной травмы геноцида со стороны Османской империи как историко-политический фактор содержания коллективной памяти армян. Данная работа раскрывает проблему взаимосвязи между культурной памятью о геноциде османов и идентичностью армян, что имеет одновременно как теоретическую, так и прикладную направленность, поскольку результаты проведённого исследования могут быть использованы в практических целях: просветительских, психолого-педагогических, психолого-консультативных. Проведён теоретический анализ взглядов различных исследователей на проблематику культурной памяти и этнической идентичности. Описано эмпирическое исследование, направленное на изучение культурной коллективной памяти о геноциде как травматического компонента идентичности армян. Исследование выявило особенности этнической идентичности армян, особенно ‒ выраженный этноцентризм в сочетании с крайне негативной оценкой турок и противопоставлением себя им. Частично получила подтверждение основная гипотеза о наличии специфической взаимосвязи между коллективной культурной памятью и этнической идентичностью российских армян, которой присущ ряд элементов, например, повышенный уровень тревоги и депрессии. The article provides an analysis data of the ethnic identity of Russian Armenians in the context of the cultural trauma of genocide on the part of the Ottoman Empire as a historical and political factor of the collective memory of Armenians. This work reveals the issue of the relationship between cultural memory of the Ottomans' genocide and the identity of Armenians, which has both theoretical and applied orientation, since the results of the study conducted can be used for practical purposes: educational, psychological, pedagogical, as well as psychological and consultative. A theoretical analysis of the views of various researchers on the issues of cultural memory and ethnic identity was conducted. An empirical research aimed at studying the cultural collective memory of genocide as a traumatic component of the Armenians’ identity is described. This study revealed features of the ethnic identity of Armenians, especially - the pronounced ethnocentrism combined with extremely negative assessment of the Turks and opposition to themselves. The basic hypothesis about the existence of a specific relationship between collective cultural memory and the ethnic identity of Russian Armenians, which has a number of elements, for example, an increased level of anxiety and depression, was partially confirmed.