The Legacy of War: Exploring the Intergenerational Experiences of the Veterans’ Grandchildren

Sammanfattning: This study explores the what and the how of the experiences of intergenerational effects of war. By drawing from the hermeneutical phenomenological paradigm, and utilizing life course perspective in framing the phenomenon, interesting processes of meaning making emerge. Through sympathizing and empathizing, knowledge seeking, and meaning making, the individuals are seen to connect to the past, present and future generations of Finland as questions of the impact of war and concerns about the stability of society arise. This research contributes to the conversation about the intergenerational effects of war, as experienced three generations after the war. The experiences explored here are characterized by difficult inherited emotions and patterns of behavior that have been passed down from parents and grandparents. However, there is a sense of hope for the future generation as the individuals recognize that they might be the last generation that is affected by the familial and cultural cycles of war trauma.