Epigenetics and Intergenerational Trauma: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Afterlives of Famine in War

Leonardo 2026 Open access

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Authors: R. Hope Kerr, Anna Dumitriu
DOI: 10.1162/leon.a.2630
Cited by: 1
References: 32

Abstract

Abstract This article discusses an interdisciplinary artist-researcher collaboration exploring biological and sociocultural afterlives of famine. The project was inspired by research on the Dutch Hunger Winter (1944–1945), which indicated transgenerational transmission of biological effects through epigenetics (i.e., that the effects of famine might be “heritable”). These findings are highly relevant in the context of contemporary wars where starvation is being used as a weapon of war. The article discusses how, through research and artistic practice, the authors explored the resonance between biological transmission and “postmemory” extrapolating from the Dutch case to explore the familial afterlife of traumatic wartime experience.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Race Genetics and Society Memory Trauma and Commemoration Medical History and Research

Publication details

Journal / source
Leonardo
Publisher
MIT Press
Volume
59
Issue
2
Pages
136–141
Publication date
1 January 2026
Language
EN