ERIC Number: EJ1296822
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jun
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1090-1981
EISSN: N/A
El Nacimiento del Pueblo Mestizo: Critical Discourse on Historical Trauma, Community Resilience and Healing
Cacari Stone, Lisa; Avila, Magdalena; Duran, Bonnie
Health Education & Behavior, v48 n3 p265-275 Jun 2021
Purpose: Historical trauma has been widely applied to American Indian/Alaska Native and other Indigenous populations and includes dimensions of language, sociocultural, and land losses and associated physical and mental disorders, as well as economic hardships. Insufficient evidence remains on the experiences of historical trauma due to waves of colonization for mixed-race Mexican people with indigenous ancestry (el pueblo mestizo). Research Question: Drawing from our critical lenses and epistemic advantages as indigenous feminist scholars, we ask, "How can historical trauma be understood through present-day discourse of two mestizo communities? What are public health practice and policy implications for healing historical trauma among mestizo populations?" Methodology and Approach: We analyzed the discourse from two community projects--focus groups and ethnographic field notes from a study in the U.S.-Mexico border region (2012-2014) and field notes and digital stories from a service-learning course in northern New Mexico (2016-2018). Findings: Our analysis describes the social and historical experiences of Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Chicanas/os, and Nuevo Mexicano peoples in the southwestern border region of the United States. We found four salient themes as manifestations of "soul-wound": (1) violence/fear, (2) discrimination/shame, (3) loss, and (4) deep sorrow. Themes mitigating the trauma were community resiliency rooted in "querencia" (deep connection to land/home/people) and "conscientizacion" (critical consciousness). Conclusion: Historical trauma experienced by mestizo Latinx communities is rooted in local cultural and intergenerational narratives that link traumatic events in the historic past to contemporary local experiences. Future public health interventions should draw on culturally centered strength-based resilience approaches for healing trauma and advancing health equity.
Descriptors: Trauma, Epistemology, American Indians, History, Multiracial Persons, Mexicans, Feminism, Public Health, Public Policy, Discourse Analysis, Ethnography, Community Programs, Geographic Regions, Service Learning, Story Telling, Information Technology, Violence, Fear, Resilience (Psychology), Intervention, Personal Narratives, Mental Health, Cultural Awareness, Counseling Techniques, Grief, Racial Discrimination, Foreign Countries, Rural Areas, Hispanic Americans, Land Use, American Indian Culture, Participatory Research
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Mexico; New Mexico
Grant or Contract Numbers: U54MD00481108