The Burden of Heritage

Hauntings of Generational Trauma on Black Lives

Aileen Alleyne
Confer Books
240 pages
ISBN: 9781913494247
July 2022

A timely addition to the literature on inter- and transgenerational trauma, this book addresses black ancestral trauma passed down the generations, highlighting the ongoing impact on black lives. Aileen Alleyne explores the unheeded dimensions of individual and collective identity trauma, paying particular attention to the themes and concepts of identity shame, black identity wounding and cultural enmeshment. The book weaves the personal, historical, socio-political and theoretical, and includes countless observational examples, clinical vignettes and case material.