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Sutured Identities in Jewish Holocaust Survivor Testimonies
Author(s) -
Schwartzman Roy
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/josi.12110
Subject(s) - the holocaust , narrative , judaism , holocaust survivors , autonomy , identity (music) , personal identity , sociology , jewish identity , social psychology , gender studies , psychology , history , aesthetics , self , political science , law , art , literature , archaeology
The Holocaust disrupted the foundations of identity for Jewish survivors: religious and social communities evaporated, families dwindled. This study explores the process of identity reconstruction within oral testimonies gathered through personal interviews with Jewish Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the United States. Thematically, their narratives confront three major forces that place conflicting demands on survivors: disclosure or nondisclosure of Holocaust experiences, autonomy and connection with religion and family, and the clash between stability and change in the transition to America. Each site of conflict exposes gaps in how identity becomes manifest through personal beliefs, observable behaviors, relationships with others, and communal affiliations. Attention to how narratives configure identity suggests ways that personal narratives illustrate the process of actively recrafting fractured selves.