Making sense of our ancestors' stories
What is it about?
This article explores how family stories about a relative's morally "bad" past--specifically a grandfather who committed war crimes--affect the identity and moral values of the descendants who tell them. The research is a 17-year longitudinal study following a Hungarian American man to see how his storytelling changed as he learned more about his family's history. The key findings include information about silence as a tool, the importance of the discovery of truth, the possibility of reconstructing morality, and the power of retelling.
Why is it important?
The research stands out because of its rare longitudinal approach and its focus on the "difficult" side of family history--the perspective of a perpetrator's descendant. The work is unique because of the longitudinal perspective it takes. It captures how a narrator's story shifts from defending an ancestor to acknowledging their role in the war. The work also focuses on the stability of memory. Despite the long gap, the study shows that the gist of personal memories can remain remarkably stable even as the cultural content around them changes. Its focus on perpetrator trauma is also unique. The research identifies a specific moral stance where the storyteller attempts to break the chains of the past by speaking about previous secrets. The study integrates modern collective memory with personal storytelling.