Call for Book Chapter Proposals

FERA välittää jäsenistön kirjoittajakutsun / FERA forwards a members’ call for book chapters

Inheriting Victimhood: Collective Memory, Identity Formation, and the Intergenerational Transmission of National Trauma Edited by Dr. Daria Khanolainen (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) and Dr. Yulia Nesterova (University of Glasgow, UK)

Wars and genocides leave deep scars — not only on those who live through them, but on generations that follow. Around the world, younger generations grow up surrounded by powerful narratives of collective suffering that gradually shape their identities. From the Great Patriotic War in Russia to the Holocaust in Israel, memories of national tragedies are passed down through families, schools, museums, and media. These memories can even transform over time so that people far removed from the original violence begin to feel and act like victims themselves, inheriting a sense of collective trauma that defines how they see and engage with the world, themselves, and others.

We invite proposals for chapters that explore how memories of historical atrocities, while vital for honouring the past, can also be instrumentalised to create violent political narratives and justify present-day aggression. A variety of questions can be considered in each chapter: When and how does remembrance transform into a collective identity rooted in victimhood? How does a group’s self-image as a victim influence its politics, foreign policy, and treatment of others? And what responsibilities do we bear in transmitting memory without perpetuating cycles of resentment and hostility?

Balancing empathy with critical analysis, the book will examine case studies from across the globe to show how collective victimhood can be a dangerous political tool. The book will argue that inherited trauma is not simply a psychological legacy but a cultural and political force — one that can be mobilised to foster solidarity and justice or manipulated to sustain conflict and justify violence. Perspectives from education, psychology, sociology, political science, and cognate disciplines will be incorporated. Each chapter will focus on a distinct historical tragedy or collective trauma and will be grounded in empirical research (published or unpublished), synthesis of related studies, or analysis of educational materials. Purely theoretical or philosophical essays fall outside the scope of this volume.

While the volume welcomes interdisciplinary approaches, contributions should engage with educational dimensions of collective memory.

Possible topics include:

· How younger generations/contemporary youth learn, understand, and perceive collective victimhood through schooling, family narratives, or social media;

· How images, language, and metaphors in history or civic textbooks and lessons reproduce or resist victimhood narratives;

· How stories told by grandparents and parents shape children’s moral identity and perceptions of “us” vs. “them”;

· How education systems mobilise historical events to foster moral entitlement or promote nationalist and aggressive narratives;

· The psychological costs of inherited victim identities for young people, such as identity burden, resentment, anxiety, or diminished academic motivation;

· How learning about national trauma influences the emotional and relational dynamics between generations;

· Ethical implications of exposing children and adolescents to collective trauma narratives — when does remembering become re-traumatizing?

· How the politicisation of historical trauma within schools/educational institutions shapes intergroup attitudes, reinforces power hierarchies, and manifests in bullying or other forms of youth aggression;

· How educators experience and navigate teaching about wars, genocides, state violence, and colonialism (the moral and professional dilemmas teachers face when the state mandates particular narratives).

Dr. Daria Khanolainen and Dr. Yulia Nesterova have received tentative interest from the Generations, Transitions, and Social Change book series at Bristol University Press to publish the proposed edited volume. You can learn more about the series here: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/generations-transitions-and-social-change

Submission details:

• Chapter proposal length: 300–500 words

• Deadline for proposal submission: March 31st, 2026

• Notification of acceptance: May 1st, 2026

• Full chapter submission: 2027 (the exact date is to be negotiated in 2026) Please send proposals and inquiries to: daria.p.khanolainen@jyu.fi