This study examines the risks of first, second and third birth in Kazakhstan since the collapse of the Soviet Union through general and ethnic-specific perspectives. Special attention is paid to the economic recovery time after 2000. The most remarkable finding is the similarity of the paces of first, second and third birth risks among the major ethnicities of Kazakhstan across the time periods. In particular, continued declines of first birth risks and slight increases of second birth risks occurred in tandem for all ethnic groups during the economic recovery period after the turn of the century.

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Urban planning is responsible for the arrangement of environments that we are living in as well as for the design of urban parks that allow us to escape from everyday stressors. However, we no longer live in culturally homogenous societies, and people of different backgrounds seem to have different perspectives on urban park aesthetics as well as the range of facilities and features that parks should provide. This study focuses on preferences and perspectives that people of different cultural backgrounds have of urban parks. This research was based on a single-case study of a multi-functional park – Waterloo Park, located in Kitchener-Waterloo (Ontario, Canada), and was focused on investigating urban park preferences of seven ethnic groups: Caucasian Canadians, East and North Asians, South Asians, Middle- Eastern, Arabic, African/Caribbean and African/Zimbabwean or Kenyan. The feedback obtained from face-to-face interviews with Waterloo-Park users have been analyzed in order to establish how do people of different cultural backgrounds conceptualize urban parks and what their breadth of needs are when utilizing park space. Demographic information, such as ethnic association, was obtained from the participants on a self-descriptive basis. Findings from this study indicates that there are apparent differences in expectations and needs that culturally diverse users have regarding urban parks, and provides substantial evidence that culture plays an influential role in perception and evaluation of urban parks. Recommendations for professional practice advocate shifting Canadian design practices towards a true comprehensive and multifunctional park design and incorporating the various motives and needs of a culturally diverse Canadian society.

Abstract “Grappling on the Grain Belt: Wrestling in Manitoba to 1931,” explores the history of wrestling in the geographic region now demarcated as Manitoba, from the pre-Confederation period to the Great Depression, with particular emphasis on the period after 1896 when the Canadian West experienced its most remarkable demographic growth. Wrestling was a frequently controversial, often divisive, but ultimately dynamic, popular, and persistent cultural form that proved adaptable to changing social conditions. Far from being ‘merely’ a sport, residents of Manitoba found greater meaning in its practice beyond the simple act of two people struggling for physical advantage on a mat, in a ring, or on a grassy field. This study examines wrestling as a social phenomenon that echoed larger, and fluid, debates over sport’s ‘proper’ purpose, expressions of masculinity, respectable public conduct, and views concerning the position of immigrant and minority communities in a predominantly Anglo-Protestant society. It likewise explores the meanings that various groups in the province, demarcated by such factors as ethnicity and occupation, attached to wrestling in the decades before the Great Depression. In doing so, it illuminates wrestling as a complex and socially-significant cultural activity which, to date, has been virtually unexplored by Canadian historians looking at the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This thesis presents an ethnographic study based in the city of Toronto on how ethnic Chinese negotiate their ambivalence towards the category “Chinese-Canadian”, particularly in relation to discourses about race, ethnicity and language. It is the finding of this study that second generation, economically privileged ethnic Chinese women are likely to feel most comfortable with the aforementioned category, in relation to their counterparts. This is because they are most likely to be able to speak Chinese and English, as well as seek out a vocabulary that allows them to make sense of their experience. They are also likely to be most comfortable because, as Chinese is a feminized category, they more easily fit into the mold of what a Chinese person is “supposed” to be like. Ethnic Chinese men, however, are less comfortable with the category and assert their masculinity by engaging in humour driven in racial and ethnic stereotypes.

This study explores ethnic identity and ethnic culture and the role they play in the lives of young men in gangs. Fifty male youths between the ages of 14 and 20 were interviewed. These youths were of French (10), Haitian (10), Jamaican (10), and Latino (10) ethnicity. Ten youths from a variety of other ethnic backgrounds were also interviewed. All youths were confined in maximum-security detention centers in Montreal, Canada. Participatory observation of males who were full-fledged gang members or affiliated with gang members was conducted at these centers. Analysis for this dissertation was conducted following the Birmingham School perspective and Herbert Gans's theory of symbolic ethnicity. The Birmingham School perspective is used to explore symbolic meaning behind specific styles [i.e. hairstyles, image, demeanor] and the degree to which they are interrelated with these young men's ethnic culture and ethnic identity, and how these various styles are signifiers of resistance or belonging. Herbert Gans's conception of symbolic ethnicity is used to explore ethno-cultural identity and its meaning in gang life. The research shows that these gangs (the French, Haitian, Jamaican, Latino, and youths from a variety of other ethnic backgrounds) are organized along racial and ethnic lines. Latinos were most likely to explicitly identify preservation of ethnic identity and ethnic culture as important components of gang life. This research is exploratory and identifies important issues for further investigation. / Key words. youth gangs, delinquency, Montreal, ethnicity, culture, identity, style.

This study analyzed the reasons why a limited number of Hispanic parents take their children to a local public recreation center. The center historically serves the African American population of the community, with many African Americans living in the area surrounding the center. However, in the last decade, Hispanic families of Mexican decent have moved into this particular neighborhood, yet only a limited number of Hispanic children are currently enrolled at the center. The current study sought to 1) understand the historical context of the recreation center in relation to the African American population; 2) understand the attitudes held by Hispanic parents toward the use of the center; and 3) make recommendation to the center management of possible ways to increase Hispanic participation. The research was conducted over a three-month period in the community surrounding the recreation center. Information was collected through the use of participant observation, autoethnography, historical and archival documents, and interviews. Findings suggest that the history of the recreation center is responsible for the large number of African American users at the facility. The facility had its origins as a segregated African American high school, and even today it serves an important community function in the African American neighborhood. Additionally, Hispanic parents identified a number of barriers to participation including language, lack of awareness, cultural differences, cost of participation, bullying, and negative perceptions of the center and neighborhood. Community members also discussed the lack of enforcement of outreach material available to recruit Hispanics. In order to increase Hispanic enrollment, the recreation center should take action in several areas. First, the center must extend ownership by implementing programs applicable to other ethnic groups. The center may also want to consider displaying photos or posters of Hispanic role models in order to build Hispanic pride; such methods are already in place for the African American users. Moreover, the implementations of trainings targeting bullying may prove to be useful in limiting bullying of Hispanic participants. Finally, implementation of the ideas contained in the outreach material provided by the Boys and Girls Club may lead to increases in Hispanic enrollment.