Second-generation East Indian women represent a visible ethnic minority group in need of culturally sensitive research to facilitate an understanding of their integration into Canadian society. There is a scarcity of systematic qualitative inquires into the experience of this contemporary second-generation population within a North American context. Hence, the primary objective of this study is to understand the bicultural experience of a select group of second-generation East Indian women using a focused ethnography as a research tool. The central questions guiding this inquiry are (a) What are the salient aspects in the subjective experience of second-generation East Indian women as they grow up within both an East Indian and Canadian cultural context? (b) What are some of the challenges they face as a result of their biculturalism, and (c) How do they negotiate these challenges? / The sample pool consisted of 16 second-generation East Indian women between the ages of 20 and 40 years who were either working or attending university and who were English speaking. Data collection focused on individual and follow-up interviews, each lasting 60 to 90 minutes. A latent content analysis was used to analyze the interview data and focused on looking for general themes, patterns and trends in the data set. Results suggest that the bicultural experience of this population is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that reflects the intersection of multiple identities including race, ethnicity, gender and cultural values.

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This study explores the psychological and social aspects of the experience of being disowned. Disownment can arise at two levels. At the intrapersonal level disownment is characterized by: the repression of emotions, needs, and aspects of one's personality. At the interpersonal level, disownment involves the complete break in social, emotional, economic, familial support and community relations. This paper examines the relationship between the two. Ten Indo-Canadian women who had experienced an aspect of disownment were interviewed. Results revealed that a variety of factors can precipitate this stressful event. How these women cope with the experience was determined by factors which either facilitated or hindered the adjustment process. From the analysis of the data, disownment not only resulted as a consequence of a life transition but it also emerged as a transitional process. The disownment model is presented to provide a framework for understanding this underlying process. The three stage model of disownment describes the: 1) anticipation of shift, 2) adjustment and 3) re-integration. Implications of the model for counseling and research are also discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

This study speaks to the prominence of ethnocultural difference experienced by six punjabi young girls in Grade 5 at school during non-instructional school times and the extent to which these experiences are playing a role on the self-identity formations for these young girls. This inquiry delves into how these young girls, all born and being raised in Canada, are making sense of their difference and how they are engaged in constructing identities for themselves. A narrative method allowed for linking self-identity to the curriculum of noninstructional school times and how children's experiences of these times plays a role in identity formation. This study reveals some of the complexities and challenges of living as a young girl of a "minority" group brings to identity construction. Complexities and challenges that I attempt to bring to surface with the aid of the in-between space of hydridity, a space Ted Aoki terms Metonymic Space, Trinh Minh-ha's entitles Hybrid Place and Homi Bhabha calls Third Space. Through the framework of poststructuralism, the process of living and constructing identities is illuminated as being multilayered and evolving as it involves negotiations and contestations between how one views oneself and other's perceptions of you. By participating in the co-creating and co-writing of a story titled "A Day in the Life of a Punjabi Girl", the young girls included in this study were provided with an avenue for action and the production of a resource that could inform educators of the educational situation of punjabi girls and help them understand the life-world of these girls at this critical stage in their identity development. This resource may also help educators make changes for future generations of these young girls, and other students from visible minorities, in the school system.

This dissertation is a case study of one small segment of what is commonly referred to as the "Indian community" in Vancouver, focusing particularly on its second-generation youth members. The study examines members' constructions of "Indian" identity, "Indian community," and "Indian culture." The first generation members of this population segment are primarily upper to middle class Hindu speaking Hindus from north India who migrated to Canada as students and independent class immigrants between 1955 and 1975 and are currently practicing professional and business people. They represent a minority of the Indian population in Vancouver by virtue of class, urban background, and language-regional-cultural affiliation. I argue, however, that this case study is an important addition to literature about South Asians in Canada both because this population segment is absent from existing literature, and because many of these individuals play leading roles in Vancouver's Indian community. Canadian literature which pertains to second generation South Asian youth emphasizes issues of assimilation, inter-generational conflict and inter-cultural identity confusion. This case study diverges from those issues in order to provide a fuller appreciation of relatively neglected aspects of youth lives. It describes how youth act as agents in the construction of their own lives and documents their experiences, visions, and initiatives. In doing so, the dissertation documents processes by which culture is constructed, conceptually and in practice. The research draws on a number of theoretical perspectives including symbolic interactionism (Blumer 1969), structuration theory (Giddens 1976, 1979, 1984), "conscious models" (Ward 1965) and reference group identification (Merton 1964; Shibutani 1955). Data is derived from participant observation, interviews, and group discussions. Youth respondents express that the challenge for them, a different one from that of their parents whose formative years were spent in South Asia or East Africa, is how to integrate Indian culture into their Canadian lives. My study concludes that active phrases used by respondents, such as, "trying to cope," "having the freedom to choose,” and "integrating Indian culture" are more accurate express-ions of the experiences of youth respondents than the passive metaphor commonly applied to South Asian youth of being “caught between two cultures."

Diabetes is a chronic disease which affects approximately 5% of all Canadians and contributes to considerable health care costs. At present diabetes can be controlled but not cured. Increased recognition that the provision of diabetes education is essential in diabetes management has led to the development of education programs in many Canadian hospitals. However, participation surveys done in the United States indicate that only 12 to 35% of individuals with diabetes receive education through formal programs. This study seeks to identify factors deterring participation of elderly Sikh Indo-Canadians with NIDDM in education programs. In depth interviews were conducted with the research participants. The Adapted Chain of Response Model was used as the framework to develop questions for the interview guide and to collect, organize and analyze the data. Deterrents identified in previous studies and supported by this study include: older age, low self-confidence, questioning the worth of the program, being on oral medications versus insulin, having one's own ways of self-care, having a family doctor for treating diabetes, financial concerns, time constraints and transportation problems, and an underestimation of the seriousness of NIDDM by doctors. Deterrents unique to the study include: viewing self as healthy, desiring anonymity, reliance on religion, not valuing non-doctors, lacking familial support, perceiving health professionals as lacking cultural sensitivity, lacking awareness of program purpose and existence, and not being referred at time of diagnosis. Family doctors not valuing diabetes education and/or services of health professionals and not encouraging individuals to attend were also identified as deterrents. This study makes recommendations for practice and research which may be useful to diabetes educators, health care organizations and researchers in assisting them to fully understand and address challenges involved in making diabetes education a reality for a greater number of individuals with diabetes.

This dissertation is a case study of one small segment of what is commonly referred to as the "Indian community" in Vancouver, focusing particularly on its second-generation youth members. The study examines members' constructions of "Indian" identity, "Indian community," and "Indian culture." The first generation members of this population segment are primarily upper to middle class Hindu speaking Hindus from north India who migrated to Canada as students and independent class immigrants between 1955 and 1975 and are currently practicing professional and business people. They represent a minority of the Indian population in Vancouver by virtue of class, urban background, and language-regional-cultural affiliation. I argue, however, that this case study is an important addition to literature about South Asians in Canada both because this population segment is absent from existing literature, and because many of these individuals play leading roles in Vancouver's Indian community. Canadian literature which pertains to second generation South Asian youth emphasizes issues of assimilation, inter-generational conflict and inter-cultural identity confusion. This case study diverges from those issues in order to provide a fuller appreciation of relatively neglected aspects of youth lives. It describes how youth act as agents in the construction of their own lives and documents their experiences, visions, and initiatives. In doing so, the dissertation documents processes by which culture is constructed, conceptually and in practice. The research draws on a number of theoretical perspectives including symbolic interactionism (Blumer 1969), structuration theory (Giddens 1976, 1979, 1984), "conscious models" (Ward 1965) and reference group identification (Merton 1964; Shibutani 1955). Data is derived from participant observation, interviews, and group discussions. Youth respondents express that the challenge for them, a different one from that of their parents whose formative years were spent in South Asia or East Africa, is how to integrate Indian culture into their Canadian lives. My study concludes that active phrases used by respondents, such as, "trying to cope," "having the freedom to choose,” and "integrating Indian culture" are more accurate express-ions of the experiences of youth respondents than the passive metaphor commonly applied to South Asian youth of being “caught between two cultures." / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

Diabetes is a chronic disease which affects approximately 5% of all Canadians and contributes to considerable health care costs. At present diabetes can be controlled but not cured. Increased recognition that the provision of diabetes education is essential in diabetes management has led to the development of education programs in many Canadian hospitals. However, participation surveys done in the United States indicate that only 12 to 35% of individuals with diabetes receive education through formal programs. This study seeks to identify factors deterring participation of elderly Sikh Indo-Canadians with NIDDM in education programs. In depth interviews were conducted with the research participants. The Adapted Chain of Response Model was used as the framework to develop questions for the interview guide and to collect, organize and analyze the data. Deterrents identified in previous studies and supported by this study include: older age, low self-confidence, questioning the worth of the program, being on oral medications versus insulin, having one's own ways of self-care, having a family doctor for treating diabetes, financial concerns, time constraints and transportation problems, and an underestimation of the seriousness of NIDDM by doctors. Deterrents unique to the study include: viewing self as healthy, desiring anonymity, reliance on religion, not valuing non-doctors, lacking familial support, perceiving health professionals as lacking cultural sensitivity, lacking awareness of program purpose and existence, and not being referred at time of diagnosis. Family doctors not valuing diabetes education and/or services of health professionals and not encouraging individuals to attend were also identified as deterrents. This study makes recommendations for practice and research which may be useful to diabetes educators, health care organizations and researchers in assisting them to fully understand and address challenges involved in making diabetes education a reality for a greater number of individuals with diabetes. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

Traditional indicators of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk may not be appropriate for Asian Indians. We designed a cross-sectional study of body fat distribution, apoB/apoA1 ratio and adipokines of Northern Indians compared to Caucasians to determine if there is a different relationship between these parameters. Indian (men: n = 54; women n = 28) and Caucasian (men: n= 32; women, n = 51) subjects were recruited who were between the ages of 20 and 60 years. Subjects were excluded if they had a history of CVD or were taking lipid lowering medications. Body fat percentage (BF%) was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Indian subjects had a substantially higher waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) ratio than Caucasian subjects (men: 0.93 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.86 +/- 0.01, p < 0.001; women: 0.88 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.76 +/- 0.01, p < 0.0001). Interestingly, while WHR correlated strongly with BF% in Caucasians (men: r = 0.63 p = 0.0002; women: r = 0.74, p < 0.0001, respectively) there was no correlation in Indians (men: r = 0.22, ns; women: r = 0.23, ns). The regression lines for WHR vs. BF% of Indians compared to Caucasians was significantly different (men p = 0.02, women p = 0.002). A similar pattern of correlation was seen with WHR and BMI. In addition, Indian men and women had a higher apoB/A1 ratio than Caucasians: the most powerful lipoprotein measure of CVD risk (men: 0.84+/-0.04 vs. 0.66+/-0.04, p=0.001; women: 0.70+/-0.04 vs. 0.56+/-0.03, p = 0.003, respectively). Leptin levels were higher and adiponectin levels in lower in the Indian men and women. Hypothetically, these alterations in body composition, apoB/apoA1 and adipokines could be due to alterations in adipocyte number.

This thesis examines how physicians in the Indian diaspora living in Canada---both those trained in Ayurveda in India (vaidyas) and those trained in Western medicine in India (MDs)---view the practice of Ayurveda in Canada. More specifically, it examines how their views have been influenced by New Age thought in general and Transcendental Meditation in particular and how these perceptions reflect the changing relation of religion and Ayurvedic medicine. It is the intent of this thesis to show that Ayurveda in Canada exists mainly as part of the greater New Age movement, as a transformed system that is inspired by both Hinduism and New Age thought, and that this transformation of Ayurveda evokes two distinct responses from Indian diaspora medical personnel in Canada---one unsupportive and one partially supportive. To the dismay of "traditional" Indians and to the praise of "modern" Indians, New Age Ayurvedic organizations strongly emphasize their version of "spirituality" as the primary goal of Ayurveda, whereas Indian forms of Ayurveda---both in the past and today---generally approach religion and spirituality secondarily. Thus, the role of religion and spirituality become major controversial issues in New Age Ayurveda. From the "traditional" point of view, the commercial achievements of New Age organizations (such as the Transcendental Meditation Movement) are not indicative of a successful introduction of Ayurveda in North America and run contrary to classical Ayurvedic principles, with regard to religious and medical practice. But, from the "modern" point of view, the New Age Ayurvedic emphasis on spirituality is indicative of an inevitable evolution of the system in North America.