Communication ETDs

Publication Date

Summer 7-9-2024

Abstract

The silence that surrounds the suicide of a parent often masks unresolved feelings of guilt, shame, and powerlessness in families grieving their loss. For children, the long-lasting impact of suppressing communication about parental suicide can endure throughout adulthood. In this autoethnography, I un-salience my voice to reflect on my father’s suicide in the context of my Nuevo Mexicana identity. I assert my Chicana feminist voice through an extraction of gendered and culturally grounded memories, personal journal entries from my childhood, and a review of academic sources on suicide. This thesis is a personal and intellectual engagement with Chicana/o critical theory, narrative inquiry in health communication, and autoethnography in order to connect my personal and family story to larger cultural meanings and social structures. Lastly, I wrote this thesis in hopes of providing a space for intersubjective dialogue with others affected by parental suicide.

Language

English

Keywords

Suicide, Communication, Autoethnography, Chicana/o, Narrative

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Communication

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Department of Communication and Journalism

First Committee Member (Chair)

Ilia Rodriguez Nazario

Second Committee Member

Shinsuke Eguchi

Third Committee Member

Nancy Lopez

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