Epigenetic Trauma and Postmemory in Marjorie Agosín’s Literary Reconstruction of Jewish Identity

Abstract

This article examines the interplay of postmemory and epigenetic trauma in the literary reconstruction of Jewish identity in the oeuvre of Marjorie Agosín. Drawing on Marianne Hirsch’s concept of postmemory and recent theories of intergenerational trauma, it analyzes how Agosín mediates inherited memories of the Holocaust and anti-Semitic persecution through lyrical and fictional writing. Focusing on La felicidad (1991), Las alfareras (1994), Sagrada memoria (1994), Always from Somewhere Else (1998), and especially Braided Memories/Memorias trenzadas (2020), the essay explores how Agosín blends family oral histories, photographs, and creative reconstruction to give voice to silenced ancestors and to confront historical erasure. Her texts foreground matrilineal storytelling, domestic objects, and recurring motifs — such as suitcases, staircases, and broken glass — to embody trauma and resilience. By juxtaposing Jewish persecution in Europe with repression under the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, Agosín establishes an ethical continuum between diasporic memory and human rights advocacy. Ultimately, her literary project transforms private remembrance into collective testimony, suggesting that inherited trauma and postmemory become catalysts for reconstructing Jewish identity and advancing a broader commitment to social justice.