No description available.

The thesis describes a program of research that investigated the over-riding hypothesis that a clear cultural identity is associated with positive personal and collective self-esteem, and positive personal well-being. The testing of this novel hypothesis required first and foremost that a reliable measure of cultural identity generally, and the clarity of a person's cultural identity in particular, be developed. To meet this goal Study 1 introduced an innovative method in a story-telling form, the "Cultural Narrative". The Cultural Narrative method is built on McAdams' (1996, 2001) Life Story Model for assessing personal identity. In order to verify its generalizability, this novel methodology was applied to two natural cultural groups: Francophone and Anglophone Quebecers. Results showed that for Francophones, a clear cultural narrative was associated with positive personal self-esteem and personal well-being, in support of the hypothesis. Unexpectedly, however, results showed that for Anglophones, a clear cultural narrative was associated with negative collective self-esteem, in complete opposition to the hypothesis. In order to theoretically refine the nature of the relationship between cultural identity clarity and individuals' esteem and well-being, Study 2 explored the historical changes in the relative ingroup status of Francophone and Anglophone Quebecers. Results indicate that when temporal relative deprivation patterns are such that the status of one's ingroup is perceived to be on the rise, cultural identity clarity is associated with positive personal well-being. In contrast, when one's ingroup trajectory is perceived to be on the downturn, cultural identity clarity is associated with a lack of personal well-being.

This study examines the meaning of home for 19 Hindu Gujarati immigrant women living in the Montreal suburban municipality of Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Adopting a qualitative approach, this study redefines home as a multiple and dynamic concept, referring not only to the house but also the homeland, neighbourhood, cultural community and even the abstract feeling of belonging or being 'at home.' While this study concentrates on the women's present homes and neighbourhoods, the idea of the home as being reinvented across a variety of spaces and social relationships is a central theme. Home-making is argued to be an evolving social process that begins in the childhood and marital homes in India and continues with the transition into new homes in Montreal. The house and home spaces (the neighbourhood and cultural community) are sites where multiple dimensions of the women's identities are given a voice and reinvented. The women define the character of the home spaces, and also negotiate culture, ethnicity and identity within them. Through the construction of hybrid cultural identities, the women are able to make themselves and their families 'at home' between cultures. This study points to complex and sometimes paradoxical meanings of home, and emphasizes the significance of the suburban, rather than inner city, quality of home-making and adaptation processes among immigrant women in Montreal.

No description available.