Historical Trauma, Psychobiology, and Intergenerational Healing

4 credits · Graduate

How might the traumatic legacies of the past continue to live within us in the present? Communities around the world have long borne witness to the lasting effects of unresolved ancestral trauma and historical violence on the well-being of future generations. In this class, we will explore the topic of historical trauma and its biological, psychological, and political legacies. We will analyze the political dynamics of historical trauma and inequality through a comparative lens, and close with an examination of major healing practices (e.g. therapeutic, cultural, legal) and emerging interventions (e.g. biological) aimed at breaking the cycles of historical and intergenerational trauma.