Family Secrets Research Articles

Sex, lies, and memoirs: on writing intimate ethnography, dealing with silence and ethically ambiguous storytelling

This article uses the notion of intimate ethnography to further a discussion on social constructions of family ties, secrets and complex strategies of storytelling. Using the example of a book published about one’s own family history, the author presents several ethical dilemmas where engagement with intimate ethnographies is fraught with pitfalls and can tear apart people, families and individuals; however, it can also give a brief and illuminating holistic experience of mutual horizontal connectedness, human harmony, and communion across time and space. The article argues that the intimacy in this ethnography traces the residues of violence and oppression, but also moments of harmony and happiness to create a holistic, complete, anthropological picture of myself and the world that makes me – with its bright and dark sides.

„Dzisiaj wymiotowałam po raz ostatni”. Zaburzenia odżywiania w Sobibor Jeana Molli

This article discusses the problem of eating disorders in Sobibor, a Young Adult novel by the French writer Jean Molla in the light of illness narrative studies, the sick body aesthetics and physical sickness. The article goes over the narrator’s list of possible causes of her psychosomatic condition, i.e. family tensions, social pressure to conform to the prevailing beauty canon, and her own rebellion against the female identity. Emily’s narration combines two strands, a struggle with adolescent personal problems and the discovery of a nasty family secret. An analysis of her experiences and reflections reveals the connections between the anorexia/bulimia syndrome and the effects of a generational trauma. Her condition is complicated further by the revelation of her late grandfather’s Nazi past, an exemplary case of post-memory trauma. The article suggests that her anorexic vomiting is a an iconic gesture corresponding to the writing (i.e. getting something off one’s chest) of the story of her traumas (both her own and inherited from an earlier generation).

Your Grandfather Is Wong Tin Lee

In this autoethnography, the author uses racial formation theory to contextualize her family experiences and the life story told to her by her grandmother. In an effort to clarify some aspects of family history after her grandmother passed away, the author searched Australian archival records looking for new information and accidentally uncovered a family secret. Specifically, their ancestors were neither upper class nor were they all white Europeans; the family story in Australia actually begins with an interracial marriage between a man from Canton, China, and a white woman born into extreme poverty. Moreover, two generations of children in this multiracial family had been removed from their parents and placed in institutions and foster families. The family history presented here challenges assumptions about what it means to be Australian and who was living in the Australian colonies at the time of Australian Federation. White Australia is explored as both an immigration policy and as a racial project that shaped the lives of non-whites living in Australia, including that of Chinese and multiracial Australians like the author’s maternal ancestors.

Vaidyakalanidhi Shri C. N. Narayanan: A revisionist among Ayurveda physicians of Kerala

Abstract In Kerala, the traditional knowledge of Ayurveda was meticulously preserved and disseminated by families of Ashtavaidya tradition and other Vaidya (physicians). The branch of Kaumarabhritya (pediatrics) owes much to the detailed treatises such as “Arogyakalpadrumam” by Kaikulangara Rama Varier and “Vaidyatarakam” by Vaidyakalanidhi C. N. Narayanan (CNN). This paper gives an insight into the life and legacy of CNN, a towering figure who enriched the Ayurvedic community through his academic brilliance, leadership, and editorial prowess. CNN, hailing from a traditional Vaidya family in the central region of contemporary Kerala in India, holds a distinguished position as a Balachikitsaka (pediatrician). His significant contributions to the field of Kaumarabhritya are encapsulated in his seminal work, Vaidyatarakam. This magnum opus delves into unique formulations designed to combat prevalent diseases of his era, such as Karappan (a skin disorder), Romantika Jwara (measles), Nilankari Chuma (whooping cough), and Pilla Vata (polio), among others. He played a crucial role in shaping discussions on professional, academic, and social aspects of Ayurveda. Contrary to the custom of preserving traditional and professional knowledge as a family secret, he devoted himself to spreading his extensive clinical and practical experience. CNN’s tireless efforts have not only enriched the field of Ayurveda but have also contributed to its wider dissemination and understanding.

Performing the ‘Invisible’ in <i>Yemoja</i> and ‘Our Family Secret’ through multimedia and virtual theatre

Modern technology has necessitated the digitalisation of stage performances, especially in the 21st century. Although, technology applies to many industries as it enhances productivity and creativity, however, theatre industry seems to benefit from technology more than other industries as the use of digital devices has boosted the industry beyond the physical stage and it has also given stage theatre popularity in the media space. It is on this premise that this study examined the exploration of “Multimedia Theatre and Virtual Theatre” towards making the invisible visible in the performances of Ahmed Yerima’s Yemoja and ‘Biola Adumati’s ‘Our Family Secret.’ The findings from the study revealed that many play directors on the Nigerian stage have experimented with multimedia and virtual theatres in the process of play directing which have enhanced the quality of their works. These production techniques have been employed by some artistic directors to tell flashback stories by projecting them to the audience during live performances, some explored the same technology to create scenes that seemed impossible on stage such as sea or fire scenes. Hence, this paper concludes that the art of play directing can be a lot easier with the use of multimedia theatre technique to tell the hidden stories within the play and making the invisible visible.

Conservancy of Tradition and Family Secrets in Anita Rau Badami’s Tell it to the Trees

This paper aims to explore the traditional values, culture which the Indian families consider as a prestigious in their life time. Anita’s fourth novel Tell it to the trees pictures the Indian family who settled in Canada dealing with trauma, complex relationships, migration issues. The secrets and suspense plays a vital role in the Tell it to Trees. The secrets are shared with the trees, which never reveals to anyone else. The family maintains the secrets, pain, sorrow, disappointments within themselves. In any cause the family members never want to break into pieces and never allow anyone to enter into their family.

The Ackerman Institute: a journey of culture and diversity over six decades. A conversation with Evan Imber‐Black

AbstractThe Ackerman Institute for the Family, established in 1960 by Dr Nathan Ackerman, stands as one of the oldest and most respected family therapy institutes in the United States. Ackerman pioneered the integration of systemic insights into group settings, emphasised the crucial role of family in therapy, and advocated for the advancement and acceptance of family therapy. ‘The Ackerman’ played a pivotal role in launching Family Process, the first journal dedicated to academic activities in family therapy. Diversity and inclusion have been central tenets of Ackerman philosophy, evident in its programs, training courses, and staff composition. This commitment has produced a veritable cadre of family therapy leaders who have contributed significantly to both the Ackerman Institute and the profession, influencing policy decisions and clinical practices. One of the most esteemed and respected thought leaders and innovators of our field, who played a vital role in the legacy of several institutions, including the Ackerman, is Dr. Evan Imber‐Black. She served as a long‐time faculty member and director of the Ackerman Center for Families and Health. Her expertise encompasses the exploration of family rituals and family secrets, with a focus on the importance of rituals in providing meaning, identity, and connection across diverse cultures and family life cycles. As editor of Family Process for 8 years, she highlights the importance of examining scholarly work in the context of cultures as a requirement – we do not stand outside the culture – we are active participants. This paper is based on a conversation with Dr Evan Imber‐Black, held in June 2023, delving into her personal and professional experiences, her connection to the Ackerman Institute, and her influential work on family rituals and secrets. Through this exploration, the paper sheds light on her commitment to diversity and the lasting impact of Dr Imber‐Black's contributions to family therapy.

Somatic Biotechnologies in the System of Social Values of Modern Russian Society

The paper is devoted to analyzing the impact of somatic biotechnologies on the system of social values of modern society. In the paper «somatic» refers to such technologies that relate to the genetic modification of the human body or its functional systems carried out in various ways. The authors attempt to analyze the main directions of transformation of social institutions of modern Russian society, taking into account advantages and disadvantages of the new technological revolution. Attention is drawn to the risks that biotechnologies pose to society and the state as a whole. The authors substantiate the necessity of participation of the state and various social groups in the development of an optimal strategy reflecting the interests of all stakeholders, based on transparency and trust. The paper indicates that it is necessary to determine the levels of permissible human exposure to various concomitant factors when using biotechnologies. This will require a normative rethinking of the entire concept of human and civil rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation that includes the right to life, its values, the principles of the inalienable fundamental human rights and freedoms, their belonging to everyone from birth, the right to privacy, the right to personal and family secrets, dignity and good name.It is important at the regulatory level to consolidate the legal regime of genetic data about a person in the system of social values, prohibit discrimination based on genetic uniqueness, and develop requirements for medical organizations using somatic biotechnologies. The resolution of future problems involves a theoretical rethinking and normative regulation of new forms of work that will appear in the future, as well as new types of property. The ideas of motherhood and childhood, as well as families, will require new content, which will affect the most important values of society and demand active involvement of the state.

Ақпаратты жасырын алуға арналған арнайы техникалық құралдардың заңсыз айналымының қоғамдық қауіптілігі мен қылмыстық-құқықтық шараларды қолдану мәселелері

In this article, the authors explore the problems of the public danger of illegal trafficking of special technical means designed to covertly obtain information, and the possibility of applying criminal law measures. The purpose of the scientific research is to study the conclusions that offenses that pose the greatest public danger in accordance with this topic can be committed on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and to provide measures to prevent them. The main directions are: blocking illegal trafficking of special technical means, analysis of working out the application of criminal law measures in case of detection of any offenses, law enforcement agencies in preventing illegal trafficking of special technical means with the emergence of new development prospects, identification of areas related to the need to generalize the methods used by government agencies and civil society. The hypothesis is substantiated that the idea of scientific research studies the problems of public danger of illegal trafficking of special technical means intended for the application of criminal law measures. A brief description of the scientific and practical significance of the work. Evaluation, analysis and systematization of ongoing preventive work are one of the directions of this work. The practical significance of the results of the work lies in the fact that the conclusions contained in its conclusions and recommendations can contribute to further countering crimes. A brief description of the research methodology is an empirical analysis of the data obtained experimentally. Due to the fact that information security is often subject to various threats, scientific research is being conducted today related to the fact that cases of violation of citizens' rights to personal and family secrets, violations of commercial secrets, and disclosure of state secrets are not uncommon. The main results of the research work are the analysis, adoption of the most targeted actions, policies and measures to solve the problems of public danger of illegal trafficking of special technical means for anonymous obtaining information to improve the situation based on the conducted research-the ability to apply certain types of investigative boards in the implementation of measures taken by law enforcement agencies, to show their effective algorithm, conclusions - The legal status of information includes the basic principles enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan concerning the collection, storage, use and dissemination of information on the territory of the Republic. The essence of the research is that as a result of studying these types of offenses, it is important to prepare a methodological recommendation and include it in the educational process, the practical significance of the research work lies in improving the legal framework, preventive work, as well as tactics and methods of investigation and disclosure of such criminal offenses.

Amateur Family Genealogists Researching Their Family History: A Scoping Review of Motivations and Psychosocial Impacts

A rapidly rising number of people are engaging in family genealogical research and have purchased home-based DNA testing kits due to increased access to online resources and consumer products. The purpose of this systematic scoping review is to identify and elucidate the motivations (i.e., pathways, reasons for conducting family history research) and the consequences (i.e., psychosocial impacts) of participating in this activity by amateur (unpaid) family genealogists. Studies published from January 2000 to June 2023 were included in our review, using the PRISMA methodology outlined by the Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI) Reviewer Manual. A total of 1986 studies were identified using selected keywords and electronic databases. A full-text review was conducted of 73 studies, 26 of which met our eligibility criteria. The multiple dominant themes that emerged from the data analysis are organized into five categories: (1) the motivations for practicing family history research, (2) emotional responses to family secrets and previously unknown truths, (3) impacts on relationship with the family of origin and other relatives, (4) impacts on personal identity (including ethnic/racialized and family/social), and (5) identity exploration and reconstruction. Finally, these themes are connected to broader theoretical/conceptual linkages, and further, an agenda for future research inquiry is developed.

Can you keep a secret? Family histories, secrets and ethics

Secrets are important for understanding interpersonal and family relationships. They give insights into the dynamics, processes, interactions and bonds that are developed, interrupted or revisited throughout life. We address family secrets as observatories of interpersonal relationships in two ways. One relates to how the disclosed secrets reveal social norms and social changes in family relationships. The second relates to telling an individual or family secret during a research interaction and what ethical issues and practices this disclosure implied. We address these issues through the secrets that emerged from 49 interviews carried out within a family histories research project with 15 Portuguese families. We identified a variety of family secrets related in particular to family and reproduction, money and addiction. The emergence of secrets in the interviewees’ narratives reveals the fundamental role of secrets in attributing meanings to biographies and family histories.

Mystery of the Talking Skull: Family Secrets in Southern Appalachia

Abstract: When an out-of-town merchandiser goes missing in 1930s rural Southern Appalachia, whiskey and foul play are suspected. The small town of Woodbury, Tennessee, soon forgets and moves on, until the man's skeletal remains are uncovered three years later by two boys digging for mayapple root. Two men are immediately charged with the murder, though only one would be convicted. The trial would attract newspapers from across the state and beyond through the end of the decade. The story was lost to time and largely unknown to the descendants of those involved. The tale might have stayed buried in the past if not for a pulp fiction magazine that made its way back to the family some seventy years later.

Odkrywanie żydowskiej tożsamości w powojennej Austrii na przykładzie filmu Śpiące psy Hanny Andreasa Grubera

REDISCOVERING JEWISH IDENTITY OF POST-WAR AUSTRIA IN ANDREAS GRUBER’S HANNA’S SLEEPING DOGS
 The trauma of the Holocaust, despite being dismissed for many years, has profoundly shaped the identity of successive generations of Jews. The main character of the film Hanna’s Sleeping Dogs (Hannas schlafende Hunde, 2016, Andreas Gruber) inherits the trauma of the tragic events of World War II, even though she initially remains unaware of her Jewish heritage. Upon discovering the family secret, the nine-year-old Johanna embarks on a journey to unravel her true identity. This task proves challenging in Austria, where anti-Semitism still prevailed in the 1960s, and “the myth of Hitler’s first victim” dominated the public discourse. The article aims to identify the stylistic devices employed in depicting the struggle between memory and (post)memory of tragic events. It also focuses on how Gruber narrates the story of trauma passed down from generation to generation and examines the representation of Jewish figures in his films. In addition, the film is analyzed within a sociocultural context to highlight its relevance to public discussions about Jewish identity in post-war Austria.

PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA IN THE ERA OF DIGITALIZATION: CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL ASPECT

The article is devoted to the study of the constitutional and legal foundations for the protection of personal data in the era of global digitalization. The authors conducted a comparative legal analysis of international acts and modern Kazakhstani legislation regulating, first of all, constitutional rights to the protection of private life, including the right to family and personal secrets; as well as the right to secrecy of personal savings and deposits; the right to privacy of correspondence, including telephone conversations, telegraph and postal messages, and the like. This article presents international legal and national instruments that guarantee the provision and protection of the right to privacy in the era of global digitalization, and also analyzes the legislative guarantees of non-interference in private life (including guarantees of protection from surveillance of private life, and guarantees non-dissemination of information about it). The article substantiates the need to introduce appropriate measures and tools to effectively protect personal data in the process of their collection, accumulation, use on automated database servers from accidental or unauthorized access, modification/destruction, or leakage or distribution. In addition, the article analyzes questions about the need to expand the conceptual apparatus of constitutional law; the formation of new terminological systems that would cover the entire process of informatization and digitalization in relation to constitutional and legal institutions in the field of personal data protection. Based on the results of the analysis, the authors formulated problematic areas of constitutional and legal recognition and legal protection of personal data. Some proposals were also formulated to improve the national legislation in relation to privacy and an attempt was made to comprehend a new set of concepts in the constitutional and legal sphere associated with the digitalization of legal relations and, in general, with the emergence of a digital legal space and the expansion of digital rights.

Ethical Dilemmas and Family History: A Psychological Approach

Family historians frequently encounter ethical issues in the course of their research, and many come to recognise the moral dilemmas facing them. Common dilemmas revolve around topics such as whether family secrets should be revealed or favourite stories debunked in light of the evidence, how the privacy of living relatives can be maintained when family histories are published, if the ‘sins of the fathers’ require reparation (and how this might be possible), and to what extent is it acceptable to romanticise or ‘whitewash’ one’s ancestral story. In this paper, dilemmas such as these are discussed using the theoretical framework of psychologist Jonathan Haidt whose model of five moral ‘instincts’ includes care, fairness, loyalty, respect for authority, and sanctity. It is concluded that examining ethical issues using such a framework has the potential to stimulate empathy, reduce impulsive action, and increase the likelihood of finding creative solutions to moral dilemmas.

Owning the Lies

This autoethnography contests notions that family secrets and lies are always disruptive to family cohesion by exploring how secrets and lies hold a family together. Drawing from shared memories, I address my siblings directly to reveal our experiences of navigating our parents’ secrets and lies from each other that contributed to our own adoption of such practices. The story shows how we eventually found better ways to support our parents and one another into adulthood by learning to “own the lies” and not eschew them. Owning the lies means knowing each of our love debts to one another and to the social worlds we inhabit beyond the family dynamic.

Review of “Keeping Family Secrets: Shame and Silence in Memoirs from the 1950s”

Review of “Keeping Family Secrets: Shame and Silence in Memoirs from the 1950s”

Tjieng Tjang Tjerries and other stories by Jolyn Phillips

Tjieng, Tjang, Tjerries is a collection of thirteen (13) short stories set in Gansbaai, a working-class fishing town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Jolyn Phillips covers the stories of many of its residents. Phillips paints a colourful picture of the residents in the town and the issues that occupy their attention. She stays true to the characters of the town representing them as they are, warts and all. For all this, she handles her characters with care, and even affection. She stays true even to the mix of English and Afrikaans spoken in the town, and code-switches from one language to the other regularly and unapologetically so. The stories in turn cover issues concerning domestic violence, drug abuse, poverty, mental health issues and religion, amongst others. While these are commonplace in many South African communities like Gansbaai, Phillips’ stories also, perhaps importantly, focus on interactions between families and amongst the community members, social attitudes towards each other, family secrets, taboos, colorism, death, town life/the geography of the town (the sea) that are peculiar to the town and to coloured people.

Історико-правовий аналіз кримінально-правової притидії домашньому насильству

The article is devoted to the analysis of the concept of domestic violence at different times and in different countries, as a result of which it can be stated that regardless of the development of society, its evolution, the problems of domestic violence have always existed. It has been found that the roots of domestic violence in history are deep, come from ancient times and are determined by the peculiarities of national values, culture, traditions and, of course, religion of different peoples and states. Today, domestic violence is one of the most acute problems of society, which is quite widespread in the whole world and during the period of quarantine restrictions, it is gaining larger and larger scales. Modern society considers domestic violence as a type of criminal offense, but in most cases in Ukraine, domestic violence remains a family secret, because victims of such violence are ashamed to admit it and report it to law enforcement authorities. Realization of personal human rights, guaranteeing the right to life and health, to free personal development is one of the main tasks of the legal social state, which Ukraine is declared to be. Ensuring these rights is directly related to combating violent acts and, in particular, domestic violence. The first attempts to regulate family relations at the legislative level, as evidenced by historical monuments, were made as early as the 18th century BC, during the reign of Hammurabi, king of Babylon. In the laws of King Hammurabi, a lot of attention was paid to family relations - both property and non-property, as well as the protection of some rights of children. Thus, the analysis of individual provisions of these laws makes it possible to assert that they protected the interests of the family and established equal rights of spouses regarding property and dignified conditions of family life, as well as provided for clearly defined grounds for divorce, both on the part of the man and the woman. At the same time, the laws of King Hammurabi also provided for the possibility of placing a woman or child in debt bondage for a certain period in case of inability to repay the debt. Gender-based violence has deep historical roots both in Ukraine and abroad . It takes its origin from ancient times, since mankind began to exist on Earth. It is worth noting that domestic violence is an urgent problem at the current stage of development , both for the person against whom it is committed, as well as for the families where it is committed and, of course, for our society in general, because domestic violence is one of the most common forms of human rights violations in the world.

Virulence Factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as Modulators of Cell Death Mechanisms.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) modulates diverse cell death pathways to escape the host immune responses and favor its dissemination, a complex process of interest in pathogenesis-related studies. The main virulence factors of Mtb that alter cell death pathways are classified according to their origin as either non-protein (for instance, lipomannan) or protein (such as the PE family and ESX secretion system). The 38 kDa lipoprotein, ESAT-6 (early antigen-secreted protein 6 kDa), and another secreted protein, tuberculosis necrotizing toxin (TNT), induces necroptosis, thereby allowing mycobacteria to survive inside the cell. The inhibition of pyroptosis by blocking inflammasome activation by Zmp1 and PknF is another pathway that aids the intracellular replication of Mtb. Autophagy inhibition is another mechanism that allows Mtb to escape the immune response. The enhanced intracellular survival (Eis) protein, other proteins, such as ESX-1, SecA2, SapM, PE6, and certain microRNAs, also facilitate Mtb host immune escape process. In summary, Mtb affects the microenvironment of cell death to avoid an effective immune response and facilitate its spread. A thorough study of these pathways would help identify therapeutic targets to prevent the survival of mycobacteria in the host.