Increasingly, nationalist ideals are being applied by large numbers of politically unrecognized or unsatisfied ethnic communities. The appearance of movements demanding ethnic autonomy in a number of different states worldwide has helped to renew scholarly interest in nationalism. Even in Canada, there was a sharp rise in the political acumen and influence of Aboriginal groups. The resurgence of ethnic nationalism has, indeed, become one of the most striking political developments in recent decades. As a result of these events, questions are being raised about how the relationships between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian governments and society should be structured. At issue are the challenges that ethnicity and nationalism pose. Yet in spite of a genuine willingness amongst a majority of Canadians to reevaluate their place in Canadian society, Aboriginal nationalist assertions have remained largely understudied by students of nationalism. A new understanding of the roots, goals, and internal particularities of these unique ethnic movements is needed. From a survey of the scholarly literature of nationalism and Aboriginal peoples in , Canada, new conceptualizations of ethnic nationalism must be developed, ones which recognize that not all forms of assertion are destructive and dismembering to the larger political community. If Canadians are to find meaningful ways of accommodating these challenges, then incentives must be found and mechanisms developed to both preserve the wider unity of the state and help facilitate the autonomous development of Aboriginal nationalist communities. Recognizing that there are multiple ways of belonging to Canada and realizing Aboriginal self-government are such forms of accommodation.

This thesis investigates expressions of tradition currently being brought forth by members of the Comox First Nation as markers of their identity. A history of massive depopulation and territorial movement, combined with extensive intermarriage outside of the community, has left the Comox peoples with varying degrees of traditional and cultural knowledge. Bound on all sides by the Central Coast Salish, the Nuu-chah-nulth, and the Kwakwaka'wakw, rights to their traditions are restricted to certain families in the community. This limitability of tradition has led the Comox peoples to bring forward and reinvent traditions that are accessible to all members of the First Nation. This study moves away from the tendency of anthropological investigations to concentrate work amongst perceived cultural cores, and instead looks directly at dilemmas and resolutions of identity that are prevalent within border communities.

This study explores the ethnic identification and ethnic identity of immigrant Chinese mothers (n = 56) and adolescents (n = 55) living in the Greater Vancouver Area, British Columbia, Canada. Survey methods were used to assess: (a) measures of ethnic identification and ethnic identity, (b) intergenerational similitude of ethnic identification, and (c) intergenerational similitude of ethnic identity. Findings contribute to the conceptualization and measurement of both ethnic identification and ethnic identity. Most noteworthy, results support (a) that the Ethnic Identification Scale is an adequate measure of ethnic identification, (b) the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Scale (Phinney, 1992) contains a single component with two theoretical dimensions, and (c) ethnic identification and ethnic identity are distinct constructs. In addition, the intergenerational similitude of ethnic identification and ethnic identity was examined according to the goodness-of-fit and exploration/perspective-taking models. Contrary to expectations, no support was found for the similitude of ethnic identification between mothers and their adolescent children. On the other hand, there was evidence for the intergenerational similitude of ethnic identity, supporting the exploration/perspective-taking model for understanding ethnic identity development within the family context. Adolescents were more likely to explore issues related to their ethnic group membership if their mother engages in the exploration process.

Various sources on Kazakh history demonstrate that a Kazakh culture was generated out of the predominantly pastoral experiences of its people. For centuries, Kazakh communities were engaged in a definite set of practices prescribed by pastoralism. Firmly incorporated into the all-Union structure of Soviet republics, Kazakhstan made an impressive transformation from a predominantly pastoral to an agroindustrial region with one of the most vibrant economies in Central Asia. Sovereignty in 1991 pushed the historic trajectory of the Kazakh nation further ahead, prompting its citizens to engage in self-reflection, and attuning their collective memories to a new set of social and political realities. It also brought the country closer to the city, as hundreds of thousands Kazakh villagers left their homes for urban areas following the downfall of the 'transitional' economy that ensued in the wake of the demise of socialism. This thesis presents an analysis of data that was collected during twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork carried out primarily in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan, in 1999. A principal aim in this study is to unravel emerging subjectivities and congealed meanings that have developed within the context of Kazakh rural to urban migration, especially that which occurred after the breakdown of the Soviet Union. It centers on important themes relating to Kazakh historic ancestry and culture, the colonial encounter, the city and its populace, as well as the recently achieved national independence, as they have unfolded in the narratives of recent arrivals to the city. How have the discourses of ancestry and modernity, mediated by their experiences of migration and displacement, been implicated in migrants' understandings of themselves and their nation? Special attention in my discussion is paid to the issue of whether the recent encounter of rural and urban worlds fostered the contemplation of specific narratives of the Kazakh nation, as it emerges from Socialism.

Cultural influences on educational achievement were explored in this study of Chinese university students. Academic choices, goals, and performance in relation to family background, ethnic identity, and cultural socialization were ascertained through semi-structure interviews and questionnaires. The sample of thirty-two McGill University students represented a cross section of majors, and were selected into groups based on length of residency in Canada. Data from university records, which showed the evolution of Chinese enrollment and achievement patterns over the last three decades, provided the historical context for the interviews. Major themes regarding family and ethnic identity emerged which suggest that educational ambitions may be socioeconomically motivated, and rooted in an ethnic minority's aspiration for upward mobility. However, the key facilitator of educational success is a strong home background and family system, which was able to promote and enforce a single-minded pursuit of education.

No description available.

Throughout four centuries of Ottoman domination, Salonika Jews had managed to preserve their particular ethnic identity and to occupy an important position in the economic life of the city. In 1912 Salonika was annexed to the Greek nation-state, and only decades later various sources of the early 1930s were emphasising the economic and social degradation of the Jewish community. Existing bibliography has tended to underline almost exclusively the role of Greek politics and Greek society as the major explanatory factor of the community's decline. This thesis challenges this approach and argues that intra-communal politics within the inter-war years had a significant share of responsibility for the crisis which threatened Salonika Jews in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Indeed, Jewish political elites were deeply split over issues of fundamental importance for the community, resulting in political deadlock. Consequently, the community was caught up in fierce ideological debates and was deprived of a solid communal leadership able to steer them through unsettled waters. In order to account for this explanation, the thesis reassesses as a first step Greek majority policies and argues that notwithstanding the numerous constraints which they imposed on the status of the Jews, the latter were left significant room in which to influence their own affairs. Secondly, this thesis explores the ways in which communal political leaders responded to and made use of their 'power'. By analysing the four major Jewish political parties in the inter-war years - the Zionists, the Assimilationists- Moderates, the Radicals (Mizrahi-Revisionists) and the Communists - on the basis of party competition and party ideologies which set 'Jewishness' at the centre of political discourse, it is shown that their constant ideological struggles over this issue rendered them unable to build up constructive political coalitions and find answers to the pressing economic and social needs faced by the community.

This thesis explores issues of literacy and identity through a social constructionist perspective by discussing the concept of a linguistic and national home for an Armenian-Canadian. Through autoethnography, I connect my personal experiences to my culture, and construct a sense of 'home' by writing from both sides of a border: Armenian and Canadian. Autobiographical approaches make use of the self to construct meanings that illuminate larger themes and bear implications for wider audiences (Cole & Knowles, 2000; Kamanos-Gamelin, 2001; Mitchell & Weber, 1999; O'Reilly-Scanlon, 2000). Thus, as I describe the outcomes of my experiences of literacy and identity, I consider the need for critical pedagogy in order to create or 'write' home. / This self-study is based on my realities and the ways in which I understand those realities. Moreover, it follows a phenomenological aim to "uncover and describe the structures, the internal meaning structures, of lived experience" (van Manen, 1997, p. 10). However, the value of finding meanings in the past lies in the possibilities to construct the future. Shirinian (2000) points out that "in the diaspora, meaning has been displaced but not replaced, and one of the principal problems the very concept of Armenian diaspora culture seeks to understand is the relationship between the experience of cultural displacement and the construction of cultural identity" (p. 5). By writing about my home from both sides of a border, I hope to bridge this gap and offer new meanings and perceptions in understanding the Armenian-Canadian experience.

Typescript (photocopy) / Bibliography: p. 308-318. / xvi, 318 leaves tables 28 cm

Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-166). / The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological framework called the Terror Management Theory (TMT) applied to Native Hawaiian students. TMT is a framework that provides an explanation of relationships between cultural factors, self-esteem, and anxiety (Solomon, Greenberg, & Pyszczynshi, 1991). The hypotheses [sic] of this study was that Native Hawaiian students who identify or seek to identify with "being Hawaiian" and are assisted in achieving its standards of value (high cultural values) will (1) have higher levels of self esteem if they see themselves achieving cultural standards following treatment (2) have lower levels of anxiety following treatment (3) increase "adaptive" behaviors such as achieving academic standards, positive social interactions and making positive contributions to their families and communities. The design of this study was both quantitative and qualitative. The design of this study was a quasi-experimental nonequivalent comparison-group design, consisting of two intervention groups and two comparison groups of 24 Native Haqwaiian students from ages 9-16 years. Intervention participants engaged in Native Hawaiian cultural interventions for 10 hours over a six-week period, while comparison participants engaged in academic tutorial sessions. Measures for self-esteem, anxiety, and adaptive behavior were taken before and after intervention. Qualitative and anecdotal data were also collected and analyzed. Intervention group results indicated that Hawaiian identity increased, anxiety decreased and positive behavior increased. Findings were mixed for self-esteem. Qualitative measures indicated increase in self-esteem, participants felt "good" about themselves and were "proud," but quantitative indicated a decrease. Comparison group indicated a decrease in Hawaiian identity, anxiety and self-esteem. Overall, there were positive indicators to conclude that the TMT framework is applicable to the Native Hawaiian population. / Electronic reproduction. / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xii, 166 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm