Intercultural friendship relationships among women: lessons from the Grandmothers
Date
2000-10
Authors
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Publisher
ORCID
Type
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Women of the "Intercultural Grandmothers Uniting" (IGU) group draw on the
gendered identity "grandmother" to build bridges of understanding, respect, and
friendship across boundaries of race and generation. This thesis examines important
intersections of gender, race, class, age and cultural and family identity through an
examination of elderly women's friendships within a network of Saskatchewan First
Nations, Metis, and other Canadian older women. Historically, many women belonging
to these groups have lived side by side without ever interacting. Building relationships
among the groups is of increasing importance given Saskatchewan's aging population,
the growth of Aboriginal populations and migration to urban centres.
An oral historical approach draws on the life experiences often IOU members
and two coordinators to provide insights about specific social institutions and cultural
processes that act to facilitate or hinder friendships among women. The connectivity
between intercultural friendship relationships and perceived ability to engage in social
activism is also examined and found to operate synergistically. The results of this study
show that the Grandmothers build upon the common ground of "grandmotherhood" to
bridge differences in cultural identities while at the same time cultural identities are
maintained and prioritized. Operating within broader social ideologies that characterize
such categories as mutually exclusive and segregated, it is paradoxical that the
Grandmothers simultaneously occupy a categorical identity space and highlight the
interconnectedness of the categories through their friendship.
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Citation
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
Women's and Gender Studies
Program
Women's and Gender Studies