Culture is a dynamic entity that changes and adapts over time. However, as our world grows increasingly interconnected, indigenous cultures throughout the world are being assimilated into a 'global' culture, and losing many of the attributes that keep them unique. For instance, the traditional culture of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland is being squeezed between the need for increased development and modernization, and the desire to remain distinct and separate from the cultures of Britain and the world beyond. The Outer Hebrides is an archipelago lying off the northwest coast of Scotland, and is the last stronghold of Gaelic cultural heritage. This thesis examines the cultural changes that have taken place in the Outer Hebrides, as a result of development and modernization throughout the past century. It undertakes this investigation through the eyes of those who have witnessed the changes firsthand, by using research methods that have not yet become common in the planning profession; namely, the use of story and life histories to gather data for further analysis. A quantitative questionnaire was also employed to determine which elements of the traditional culture Hebrideans consider most important, and to provide balance to the qualitative research data. The data generated through the Hebridean field research reveals how the traditional culture of the islands has changed over the decades, and also points to ways that planners can aid development while fostering cultural preservation at the same time. Recommendations for innovative strategies are then made based on the collected data. Ultimately, this thesis reveals that the use of story and life histories represents valid methodology for planning research, while the collected stories from the elderly informants represent an act of cultural preservation on its own. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Using an ethnohistorical method which combines archival material with ethnographic material collected mostly by anthropologists, this thesis provides a history of Tlingit women's interaction with the Presbyterian missions. The Presbyterians, who began their work among the Tlingit of southeastern Alaska in the 1870s, were particularly concerned with the introduction of "appropriate" gender roles. Although participating in the roles and activities defined by the Presbyterians as "women's work", Tlingit women incorporated Presbyterian forms of practice into their own cultural frames of reference. The end result, unintended by the missionaries, was that Tlingit women were provided with a new power base. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

This thesis explores the changing meaning of wind dried salmon in contemporary constructions of the culture of the Stó:lō First Nation. Wind drying has been a method of preserving salmon for the Aboriginal peoples of the lower mainland of British Columbia since time immemorial, providing significant winter provisions. However, over the course of the last one hundred years, participation in this fishing activity has been drastically decreased and currently only a handful of Stó:lō families maintain dry racks in the Fraser canyon. As a result, wind dried salmon has gone from being a staple to a delicacy, and is now valued as a cultural tradition, rather than merely as a food product. This change in culturally inscribed meaning is a product of the relationship between Stó:lō fishing activities and fishery regulations imposed by the settler state. Increasing restrictions of Aboriginal fishing rights have resulted in decreased participation and success in the Stó:lō fisheries. Furthermore, regulation has artificially categorized and segregated Stó:lō fishing activities, dislocating the commercialized fresh catch from the "subsistence" dried fish harvest. The response to this regulatory pressure has been the traditionalization of the wind dry fishery, situating the activity as a cultural symbol and a point of resistance to external control. Wind dryers currently refuse to commercialize the wind dry fishery, thus resisting outside control of the management of the fishery and the distribution of the harvest. This situation is discussed in light of anthropological understandings of the construction of traditions, and the issues of Aboriginal rights surrounding contemporary Stó:lōfishing activities. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

The results of an ethnohistorical study of Lethbridge, Alberta led to my questioning current presumptions in the Canadian social inequality literature that social class, income, educational attainment, gender and ethnicity are principal factors in shaping social inequality in Canada. The ethnographic evidence suggests that membership criteria associated with locally-defined, historically-evolved groups mark who has political influence (a specific form of social power), and where the ensuing social inequalities lie in Lethbridge. A theoretical framework describing how historical circumstances lead to the redefinition of which socially-defined characteristics become local status markers is presented as the underlying theoretical orientation of this thesis. The framework does not preclude the possibility that social groups other than those studied in this thesis use social class, occupation, income, education, gender and ethnicity as status characteristics or group membership criteria. The framework is my attempt to clarify the often-unclear relationship among social inequality concepts. A mail-out social survey (N=238) was used to empirically test the hypothesis that Lethbridge group membership is a better predictor than social class, income, educational attainment, gender and/or ethnicity of who has political influence in Lethbridge community decision-making. Data was analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), bivariate correlation, and multiple regression. Mixed levels of support were found for the Lethbridge group hypotheses, with the "fits in" and "local trade/business people" receiving considerable support; North/South/West sider, and religious affiliation receiving some support; and Old-timers receiving no support. In contrast, the only social inequality hypothesis to receive more than minimal support was level of education. It is concluded that status characteristics are more fluid, local and historically negotiated than assumed in the social inequality literature. Suggested directions for future theoretical and empirical work include refinement of the relationships among social inequality variables and further empirical tests of the theoretical framework proposed here. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

This study is about why and how Taiwanese immigrants construct their cultural identity through public festivals within Canadian multicultural society. The study stems from intrigue with prevailing practices in art education, both those characterizing Chinese as a homogeneous ethnic group and those viewing Chinese culture as a static tradition. Analyzing cultural representation organized by the Taiwanese community, I argue that ethnic cultural festivals are not only a site where immigrants inquire into cultural identity, but also a creative response to the receiving society's social context. This study does not ask what Taiwanese culture is, but how it is constructed in Canada. The Taiwanese studied are immigrants who came with a colonial history and a particular political experience. Two of their cultural festivals demonstrate how the selectivity of cultural production reveals the immigrants' view of themselves, and how they wish to be seen. The Taiwanese Cultural Festival and the Lunar New Year Festival reflect identity construction achieved through the dynamics of choosing and naming cultural elements which are important to them. Interview data provided by the festivals' organizers and participants suggest that cultural identity is a creative response to the multicultural context. In order to justify their place in the Canadian mosaic, the Taiwanese emphasize their differences from other Chinese descendants. Difference is a signifier for Taiwanese to select from a variety of ethnic markers and to interpret their colonial past. The Taiwanese Cultural Festival asserts Taiwanese particularity, congruent with a socio-political consciousness of the native land. The traditional Lunar New Year Festival is a cultural statement that reflects immigrant parents and children reaching out to other Canadians. Both festivals intend to promote cross-cultural understanding among the general public and the festivals' end products are a showcase of ethnic representations. For the immigrants themselves, I find that education happens during the process of constructing the festivals, thereby interpreting cultural heritage through inquiring into their past. In a multicultural society, festivals are intensive sites raising questions about cultural identity and social place. Canada, largely composed of immigrants, is a place where ethnic groups from different parts of the world coexist. It is a global village in miniature, where ethnic and cultural identities are becoming a heated topic. The case of Taiwanese festivals in Canada demonstrates the selective process establishing cultural traditions and the complexities of identity formation. Particularity is emphasized in order to become a member of a multicultural society. The assertion of differences allows post-colonial subjects to find their past and search for means to live in the present. For North American multicultural educators, this suggests a range of post-colonial issues and the need for an awareness amongst educators of the evolving nature of cultural tradition at the nexus of Western cultural impact and irnmigration experiences. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

M.A (Historical Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

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