INHERITED BURDENS OR ANCESTRAL STRENGTHS?: RACE-BASED TRANSGENERATIONAL TRAUMA IN BLUE DOOR

Abstract

This study critically analyzes Tanya Barfield’s play, Blue Door: A Play with Original Songs in the light of race-based transgenerational trauma theories and offers a deep exploration of the protagonist Lewis’s internal conflict. Lewis, an accomplished mathematics professor, is in conflict with his black identity and he suffers from insomnia one night when he begins to engage in dialogues with the spirits of his ancestors. Through these spiritual encounters, Barfield portrays traumatic effects of slavery and racism, which clearly shapes African-American identity. Lewis’s interactions with the spirits serve as a confrontation with the weight of inherited trauma and the dissonance between his personal achievements and the cultural legacy he seeks to suppress. Barfield presents these moments as both traumatic and healing, illustrating the deep psychological toll of reconciling past and present. While the inherited trauma initially alienates Lewis from himself, the journey through his ancestral memories ultimately allows him to achieve a sense of healing. At the end of the play, Lewis reconciles with his sense of self and embraces his ancestral past as an integral part of his identity. This study pivotally focuses on race-based transgenerational trauma, identity crisis, and healing, highlighting the significance of cultural heritage on current conditions.

Keywords

• Transgenerational Trauma
• Race-Based Trauma
• Blue Door
• Tanya Barfield
• Internal Conflict

MİRAS ALINAN YÜKLER Mİ YOKSA ATALARDAN GELEN GÜÇLER Mİ?: BLUE DOOR'DA IRK TEMELLİ KUŞAKLAR ARASI TRAVMA

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Tanya Barfield’ın oyunu olan Blue Door: A Play with Original Songs’u ırk temelli kuşaklar arası travma teorileri ışığında eleştirel bir şekilde analiz eder ve başkahraman Lewis’in iç çatışmasını derinlemesine inceler. Başarılı bir matematik profesörü olan Lewis, siyahi kimliğiyle çatışma içindedir ve uykusuzluktan müzdarip olduğu bir gece atalarının ruhlarıyla diyaloğa geçer. Barfield, bu manevi karşılaşmalar aracılığıyla Afro-Amerikalı kimliği şekillendiren köleliğin ve ırkçılığın travmatik etkilerini yansıtır. Lewis’ın ruhlarla etkileşimleri, geçmişten miras kalan travmanın ağırlığı ve kişisel başarıları ile bastırmaya çalıştığı kültürel miras arasındaki uyumsuzlukla yüzleşme işlevi görür. Geçmişle bugünü uzlaştırmanın derin psikolojik bedelini resmeden Barfield, bu anları hem travmatik hem de sağaltım aracı olarak resmeder. Miras alınan travma başlangıçta Lewis’ı kendinden uzaklaştırsa da, atalarının anıları boyunca yaptığı yolculuk sonunda ona bir iyileşme duygusu aşılar. Oyunun sonunda Lewis, benlik duygusuyla uzlaşır ve kimliğinin ayrılmaz bir parçası olarak atalarının geçmişini benimser. Bu çalışma, ırk temelli kuşaklar arası travma, kimlik krizi ve iyileşmeye odaklanarak, mevcut koşullarda kültürel mirasın önemini vurgular.

Keywords

• Kuşaklar arası Travma
• Irk Temelli Travma
• Blue Door
• Tanya Barfield
• İçsel Çatışma

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