Sociology Department, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut 06518, USA.
Omega (Westport). 2010;61(3):205-22. doi: 10.2190/OM.61.3.c.
This article explores the concepts of unmourned and disenfranchised grief as a way to understand the experiences of adult children of Nazi perpetrators, who grew up with cultural norms of grieving alone or in silence. The scholarly literature on descendants of Nazis reflects a group unlikely to warrant empathy or support from others because of the stigma surrounding their family's possible involvement in the Holocaust atrocities. This article uses, as a case study approach, the testimony given by Monika Hertwig, the adult daughter of a high ranking Nazi, who appears in the documentary film, Inheritance. From the perspective of disenfranchised grief, defined as grief that is not socially recognized or supported, the article links Monika's testimony with existing research from in-depth interviews with other descendants of Nazis to suggest that, as a group, they lacked permission to grieve their deceased parents, acknowledgment of their grief, and opportunities to mourn. Based on the theory that the effects of grief can be transgenerational, the disenfranchisement experienced by the "children of the Third Reich" does not have to pass to subsequent generations if opportunities for mourning are made possible and some resolution of grief occurs. Studies have shown that ongoing dialogue groups between Holocaust survivors and descendants of Nazis provide opportunities for mourning to both groups.
本文探讨了未哀悼和被剥夺权利的悲伤这两个概念，以此来理解纳粹加害者的成年子女的经历。这些子女在独自或保持沉默地悲伤的文化规范中长大。关于纳粹后裔的学术文献反映了这样一个群体，由于他们家庭可能参与大屠杀暴行的耻辱，他们不太可能得到他人的同情或支持。本文使用案例研究方法，引用了在纪录片《继承》中出现的高级纳粹分子的成年女儿莫妮卡·赫特维格（Monika Hertwig）的证词。从被剥夺权利的悲伤的角度出发，这种悲伤是指未得到社会认可或支持的悲伤，本文将莫妮卡的证词与对其他纳粹后裔的深入访谈的现有研究联系起来，表明作为一个群体，他们被剥夺了为已故父母悲伤、承认他们的悲伤以及哀悼的机会。基于悲伤的影响可能会代际传递的理论，如果为哀悼创造了机会并且悲伤得到了一定程度的缓解，那么“第三帝国的孩子”所经历的被剥夺权利的悲伤就不一定会传递给后代。研究表明，大屠杀幸存者和纳粹后裔之间的持续对话小组为这两个群体提供了哀悼的机会。
