Intergenerational trauma and collective identity among the Jinghpaw: a qualitative exploration.

Résumé

The purpose of this study was to explore how decades of civil war in Kachin State, Myanmar, contributed to intergenerational trauma among the Jinghpaw people and to explore how this trauma shaped their collective identity across generations. Drawing upon Family Systems Theory, Cultural Trauma Theory, Social Identity Theory, and Self-Categorization Theory, and informed by the SHARE Model of Trauma Recovery, the study conceptualized trauma as both a psychological and socio-cultural phenomenon transmitted within families and communities rather than as an individual clinical experience alone. A qualitative, multi-generational design was employed, involving 18 participants across six families, drawn from both internally displaced persons (IDP) and non-IDP contexts. Findings revealed that intergenerational trauma among the Jinghpaw people was transmitted primarily through authoritative, fear-based, and survival-oriented parenting styles reinforced by coping mechanisms such as emotional restraint, hypervigilance, moralized endurance, and silence. These strategies limited emotional openness but enabled families to adapt to prolonged insecurity, maintain moral order, and protect future generations from perceived threats. They deepened the pre-existing collective orientation rooted in kinship, spirituality, cultural rituals, and communal resilience practices. The study further demonstrated that war-related suffering was not only endured but also interpreted as part of a broader narrative of cultural survival, political struggle, and communal solidarity. Collective memory and spiritual and cultural pride emerged as significant forces sustaining identity under conditions of displacement and marginalization. Most notably, political pride became the most enduring legacy of intergenerational trauma, as families across generations reframed their suffering as moral and political testimony to the Kachin struggle for autonomy, dignity, and cultural survival.