Memory Archives as Vessels of Post-memory: Examining Intergenerational Trauma and Cultural Resilience in Alyan’s Salt Houses

Abstract

This research investigates a reciprocal and dialogical relationship among post-memory, intergenerational trauma, and cultural resilience in Hala Alyan’s Salt Houses. Memory archives such as letters, images, and heirlooms are the vessels of postmemory, serving as resources for preserving cultural identities. Deploying Marianne Hirsch’s theorizing in the context of postmemory, the research explores the role of inherited memories in the perpetuation of forced displacement and historical trauma through individual narratives, familial relationships, and cultural artefacts. Alyan's Salt Houses, a multigenerational novel, unfolds the historical devastations caused to the individual and cultural identities of Palestinian diasporas in the aftermath of Nakba, Naksa, and The Gulf War. Drawing its theoretical insights from postmemory, this research investigates the characters’ psychological and emotional responses to postmemory manifestations such as flashbacks, cultural preservation, and resistance, emphasising the importance of remembering and narrating the past.