My Father Died this Summer

Abstract

This is a critical autoethnographic essay in which the author reflects upon her life and childhood. The author considers the role of institutional memory in foreclosing on the reality of what her father suffered and endured as a Vietnam Veteran with an immigrant wife and non-white children. The author connects various theories in her contemplation of how dominant universalisms codify and label our identities, resulting in an estrangement of the self, from the self, and from those we are in closest relation with. This essay thus reflects on how our relational identities are held captive and seeks to encourage reflection on how to move forward toward a living existence.