Menu, M. Epigenetics and Historical Proxy Theories in the Intergenerational Inheritance of Historical Trauma: “Who is Telling the Story? The Genes or the Mind?”. 

Introduction

Trauma has been the focus of much research for more than three decades. This emphasis makes sense, since traumatic experiences have a profound effect on psychological and physical health not only for the individual, but for communities, and generations to come. Lately, this intergenerational effect has been postulated to be a result of a process called Epigenetics, representing multiple effects of environmental influences on individual genetic makeup.  The article focuses on the possible modalities of transmission of traumatic experiences among generations in Native American populations. Besides exploring the possibility of Epigenetics as a conduit for the transmission of Historical Trauma, it approaches the concept of Historical Proxy as an alternative explanation to Epigenetics, without asserting that the two are mutually exclusive. 

The concept of  Historical Proxy , which was coined during  some of the work on  Historical trauma IIKD ( Indigenous Institute for Knowledge and Development), at the University Of New Mexico in Albuquerque, refers to the  effect of memories, facts, tales, images, places, circumstances, reenacting historical traumatic events  and triggering  emotional  and physical  distress. This theory, as well, is in need of validation, which, in the future, will be found in the analysis of qualitative work on the subject of Historical Trauma. 

Therefore, the author proposes an alternative, but not an  adversary explanation, to the influence of Epigenetics on Historical Trauma by introducing  the concept of Historical Proxy  as a way of avoiding  a segregation of historical memories into  an epigenetic frame, which  still necessitates more investigation, and  risks to become  both a cliché and catchphrase, gaining acceptance without solid scientific evidence.