Transgenerational Memory as a Source of Ukrainian Identity and Cultural Heritage: Anthropological Aspect

Author

Bosa Liubov

a Ph.D. in History, a senior research fellow at the Ukrainian Ethnological Centre Department of M. Rylskyi Institute of Art Studies, Folkloristics and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine).

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5381-8151

Transgenerational Memory as a Source of Ukrainian Identity
and Cultural Heritage: Anthropological Aspect

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of transgenerational memory as a key mechanism of cultural heritage transmission. An attempt is made to trace how relict models of behavior, values and knowledge are transmitted from generation to generation, forming a collective memory of Ukrainians. The analysis of scientific sources and own field research is used. Special attention is paid to the anthropological aspect of this phenomenon. Although the term ”transgenerational” is often associated with traumatic events, the broader context is considered in the submitted article. In particular, extreme situations are indicated, when instinctive reactions,” survival programs” often dominate over the rational thinking. Separate mechanisms for overcoming the consequences of traumatic events embedded in culture are also considered. It is noted that memorial practices are one of the important tools for overcoming such consequences. Therefore, the authoress is focused on the symbolic aspects of Ukrainian traditional culture, related to the cult of ancestors and its modern echoes. The concept of ”grandfather” / “forefathers” is one of the key symbols. It personifies all ancestors and functions in rituals as a form of collective memory. This image is not just an archaic symbol, but a living element of tradition that is reinterpreted constantly in modern socio-cultural processes. ”Grandfathers” as an image of memory appears at different levels: in the system of ideas about the connection between the past, present and future, in the structure of family and calendar rituals, artistic forms, etc. Thus, it is concluded that biological, psychological and cultural factors closely interact, forming transgenerational memory, and culture itself transmits knowledge and values as well as also serves as a tool for adapting to changes.

Keywords

transgenerational memory, collective memory, socialization, memorial practices, cultural heritage.

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