The Old Wounded: Destructive Plasticity and Intergenerational Trauma

Abstract

This article addresses a significant gap in trauma theory and philosophy; namely, it develops a partial theory of the subject of intergenerational trauma. This is accomplished through a close examination of Catherine Malabou’s theory of the subject of trauma, as well as by contact with the research in epigenetics of Rachel Yehuda, and the research on intergenerational trauma among First Nations people in Canada conducted by Amy Bombay and colleagues. It presents original work that is responsive to recent advances in a variety of fields, including philosophy, psychology, social science, and biology.

Keywords

• intergenerational trauma
• trauma
• plasticity
• destructive plasticity
• Malabou
• Freud
• epigenetics
• indigenous