Thesis Format
Integrated Article
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Supervisor
Lloy Wylie
2nd Supervisor
Elizabeth Anne Kinsella
Abstract
How do we inherit the pain of events we have not experienced ourselves? How can we heal and put an end to our generational trauma? For Tamil refugee communities in Canada, suicides have been on the rise among 2nd-generation young adults. Employing a Decolonizing Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology, the study investigates historical trauma and community healing among second-generation Tamil refugee young adults in Toronto, utilizing innovative arts-based methods such as memory box autobiography, body-mapping, and avatar-based community circles.
This dissertation is composed of five integrated manuscripts, in addition to introductory, body-map findings, and conclusion chapters, which aim to interrogate and decolonize the study of trauma with conflict-fleeing refugee populations, as well as to imagine what could be otherwise (but is not yet) prioritized in their community healing futures. The first manuscript establishes decolonizing theoretical foundations for this work. The second manuscript critically examines anticolonial perspectives on historical trauma, using Tamil refugee communities as a case study. The third manuscript introduces methodology as a form of repatriation, weaving personal and political positionalities to create healing-focused research methodologies. The body-map chapter and last two manuscripts present findings on how second-generation Tamil refugee young adults make sense of historical trauma and community healing. The fourth manuscript visually represents co-constructed memory boxes and highlights key threads in intergenerational healing. The body-mapping chapter reveals meanings and embodied understandings of Tamil refugees’ experiences with pain, porattam, and healing. The final manuscript uses avatar-based community circles to make visible a praxis of community healing for refugee communities, contextualized within a dialectic: where communities are required to live in both spaces of recognition and resistance to interlocking systems of oppression, as well as pursue radical hope for liberation.
This research advocates for decolonizing and liberatory approaches to intergenerational trauma and community healing, where there is deep commitment toward accountability, justice, and solidarity with oppressed populations with historical and present legacies of trauma. This work stands to inform pedagogy, programming, and practice for health professionals, researchers, and refugee-serving organizations. Overall, this PAR project intervenes to prioritize community healing and joy beyond the restraints of pain and survival.
Summary for Lay Audience
This study explores how the pain from past events can affect future generations, even if they haven't directly experienced those events. It focuses on the Tamil refugee community in Canada, where second-generation young adults are experiencing a rise in suicides. Using a research methodology called Decolonizing Participatory Action Research (PAR), the study looks at historical trauma and healing in these young adults, using creative methods like memory boxes, body-mapping, and avatar-based community circles.
The dissertation consists of five manuscripts, along with introductory and concluding chapters. It aims to challenge and change the way we study trauma in refugee communities, and to imagine better futures for healing. The first paper lays out the theoretical basis for the research, while the second part examines historical trauma from an anti-colonial perspective, using the Tamil community as a case study. The third paper explains the research methods, emphasizing the importance of personal and political perspectives in healing-focused research. The body-map chapter and the last two papers present the findings, showing how second-generation Tamil refugees understand and heal from historical trauma. This research project uses visual tools like memory boxes and body-mapping to highlight key themes in healing across generations. It also introduces avatar-based community circles as a way to promote healing in refugee communities, emphasizing the need for both recognition of past trauma and resistance to ongoing oppression, while also fostering hope for liberation.
Overall, this dissertation argues for approaches to trauma and healing that challenge colonial legacies and prioritize justice and solidarity with oppressed communities. It aims to inform healthcare professionals, researchers, and organizations working with refugees. Ultimately, this project seeks to prioritize healing and joy over mere survival.
Recommended Citation
Thambinathan, Vivetha, "Pain, Postmemory, Porattam: Unpacking historical trauma and community healing through a decolonizing, arts-based participatory action research project with 2nd-generation Tamil refugee young adults." (2024). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 10167.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/10167
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License