A Narrative Analysis of Stories Told in the Windrush Generation and Descendants of Windrush Generation

Abstract

Background: Research concerning intergenerational trauma has often looked at a historic event(s) experienced in one generation and the effect of this on subsequent generations. This excludes ongoing, cumulative experiences that may be experienced repeatedly across generations, such as the case of racism. An abundance of research has looked at the effects of intergenerational trauma on clinical symptoms such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. There is a small pool of research focusing on intergenerational trauma in a non-clinical population or without looking at symptomology. The Windrush Generation (WG) and descendants of the WG have experienced ongoing adversity in the UK, including racism and the Windrush Scandal. However, there is an absence of academic literature looking at their experiences and stories across generations, including possible intergenerational trauma and racism. This research aimed to address these gaps. Method: A type of qualitative methodology, Narrative Analysis (NA), was employed to look at the stories that are told across the WG and descendants, with a focus on possible stories of intergenerational trauma and racism. Four members of the WG and four descendants of the WG, all of whom identified as female, were recruited using snowball (word of mouth) sampling by emailing third-sector organisations, advertisements on social media and interviewees recruiting further participants. All participants underwent semi-structured interviews to address the research question and sub-questions. Analysis: Interviews were analysed utilising Riessman’s (2008) framework, looking at content, structure and dialogical/performance aspects of participants’ stories. Links to context, interactional style and empirical literature were made. Two broad stories were presented for individuals of the WG: stories of opportunity and hard work and stories of challenge. Three broad stories were presented for descendants of the WG: stories of their ancestors’ experiences, stories of racism and stories of strength. The analysis highlighted that stories of Windrush are multi-faceted and include stories of collective trauma, adversity and challenge, yet also focus on individual, family and community strength, resistance and celebration. Whilst collective trauma and racism for the WG and descendants was recognised, it tended not to be spoken about by the WG across generations. Instead of stories of intergenerational trauma being told across generations, there seemed to be a focus on stories of strength and resistance. Conclusions: The findings have important implications for considering stories of intergenerational strength and resistance versus stories of intergenerational trauma, including how trauma is conceptualised and worked with. This has implications for clinical practice in decolonising trauma-informed care and stepping away from Eurocentric practices. Directions for future research are suggested.