ABSTRACT
The effects of massive historical trauma remain long after the historical event and disrupt our apprehension of the world. This chapter suggests that being open to knowing about history’s traumas depends not only on our individual emotional readiness, but also on the point in time and the culture in which we live. The author uses the research he conducted on the psychological effects of the Holocaust on the children of survivors in the early 1970s to illustrate the slow and often painful evolution of awareness of historical trauma. His discussion illustrates the challenges involved in understanding and defining the experiences of this diverse group.
