By way of a series of narrative oral histories, focus group and interviews with Aboriginal Elders, this thesis examines the everyday resistance of Aboriginal women to dehumanization by government agencies. The dehumanization of these Aboriginal women occurs when they are denied their basis human rights guaranteed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Dehumanization is manifest as the denial of basic subsistence needs, poor treatment in the form of abuse, harassment and discrimination, and the denial of self-determination. Dehumanization is met with resistance in an attempt to restore humanity. Everyday forms of resistance are small acts of daily personal resistance which do not usually challenge the prevailing social order. They are based upon a complex subaltern ideology expressed in private transcripts which are usually hidden from the dominant group. Aboriginal women use the private transcripts as the ideological basis for at least three forms of everyday resistance: direct, indirect and hidden. With direct resistance the private transcript emerges, with indirect resistance a third-party mediates the emergence of partial private transcript and with hidden resistance the private transcript remains hidden. Aboriginal woman also base their resistance on a reciprocal relationship of empowerment between themselves and their communities which becomes more powerful as they age. The increase in the quality of the reciprocal communityindividual empowerment leads to evolution in the quality of everyday resistance strategies, from relatively inefficient emotion-based reactions to more efficient and well-developed strategies.

By way of a series of narrative oral histories, focus group and interviews with Aboriginal Elders, this thesis examines the everyday resistance of Aboriginal women to dehumanization by government agencies. The dehumanization of these Aboriginal women occurs when they are denied their basis human rights guaranteed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Dehumanization is manifest as the denial of basic subsistence needs, poor treatment in the form of abuse, harassment and discrimination, and the denial of self-determination. Dehumanization is met with resistance in an attempt to restore humanity. Everyday forms of resistance are small acts of daily personal resistance which do not usually challenge the prevailing social order. They are based upon a complex subaltern ideology expressed in private transcripts which are usually hidden from the dominant group. Aboriginal women use the private transcripts as the ideological basis for at least three forms of everyday resistance: direct, indirect and hidden. With direct resistance the private transcript emerges, with indirect resistance a third-party mediates the emergence of partial private transcript and with hidden resistance the private transcript remains hidden. Aboriginal woman also base their resistance on a reciprocal relationship of empowerment between themselves and their communities which becomes more powerful as they age. The increase in the quality of the reciprocal communityindividual empowerment leads to evolution in the quality of everyday resistance strategies, from relatively inefficient emotion-based reactions to more efficient and well-developed strategies.

The use of mainstream maternity services by urban Aboriginal women is an important issue for health professionals. Aboriginal mothers are much more likely to die in childbirth than are non-Aboriginal mothers and their excessive risk does not appear to have changed over the last two decades. The infant mortality rate is three times higher than for non-Aboriginal infants. Therefore, this project aimed to discover the cultural needs of urban Aboriginal women who use mainstream maternity services. Six Aboriginal women who were attending the ante-natal clinic at Daruk Aboriginal Medical Service were interviewed. The thesis included the following recommendations and strategies for their implementation: 1/. Establishment of a discrete Aboriginal women's health unit in Western Sydney. 2/. Provision of culturally acceptable education about pregnancy and childbirth. 3/. Promotion of breastfeeding. 4/. Education and encouragement for non- Aboriginal health professionals. / Master of Nursing (Hons)

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to develop a framework for the discussion of Aboriginal women's oppression, one which will reflect Indigenous women's perspectives. It is suggested here that feminism often assumes that all women, cross-culturally, share the same oppression and that this assumption may be false.</p> <p>The writer believes that the Indigenous "Circle of Life" philosophy more appropriately embodies Aboriginal women's conceptions of human nature, their political philosophy, and their strategy for social change and liberation.</p>

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to develop a framework for the discussion of Aboriginal women's oppression, one which will reflect Indigenous women's perspectives. It is suggested here that feminism often assumes that all women, cross-culturally, share the same oppression and that this assumption may be false.</p> <p>The writer believes that the Indigenous "Circle of Life" philosophy more appropriately embodies Aboriginal women's conceptions of human nature, their political philosophy, and their strategy for social change and liberation.</p>

This dissertation arose out of my long term involvement with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan, first as a volunteer and then as a Board member. As a volunteer I began to notice a chronic overrepresentation of Aboriginal women in Canadas federal justice system both historically and currently, particularly at the higher security levels. As a Board member I also began to notice that Aboriginal womens voices were not being heard in the context within which they were speaking. Rather, the womens voices were taken out of context, and used to their detriment. Aboriginal women were seen to be the sole architects of their misfortunes. Excluded from any consideration were the colonized social spaces in which they found themselves.<p> Using a critical ethnographical approach, this study aims to understand federally sentenced Aboriginal women=s life experiences from their perspective. In doing so, not only is new knowledge created but also the womens choices are understood in the context within which they were made. Through their life experiences, this study investigates how living in marginalised social spaces circumscribes the choices available to these women and ultimately structures their identities. Their stories reflect the pressures brought to bear on their lives, which are bound up in race, gender and class oppression. We can then begin to understand the implications of life at the margins for not only federally sentenced Aboriginal womens identities but also for how they fare in Canada=s federal justice system.<p> Through the voices of the women, this study demonstrated that the societal framework within which Aboriginal women live in Canada does indeed carry assumptions about gender, race and class, and which set these women in marginalised social spaces. The voices of these women also indicated that these oppressive social spaces extended behind the walls of the prison and worked to their detriment. Their time inside of prison, for the most part, did little to widen their constellation of choices. Indeed, their time inside was shown to have the potential of further entrenching their marginalization which has the potential of following these women in perpetuity. Such a situation has grave consequences, not only for the womens future functioning on the outside, but also for the future functioning of the community-at-large.<p> Their stories, their definitions of risk, their perceptions of public order and incarceration, in their own words (as subjects) then, help us to more fully understand the events and social circumstances that led them to the situations in which they currently find themselves. This has important public policy implications in terms of resource allocation and service delivery for their healing and (re)integration into communities, not back into prisons.

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a framework for the discussion of Aboriginal women's oppression, one which will reflect Indigenous women's perspectives. It is suggested here that feminism often assumes that all women, cross-culturally, share the same oppression and that this assumption may be false. The writer believes that the Indigenous "Circle of Life" philosophy more appropriately embodies Aboriginal women's conceptions of human nature, their political philosophy, and their strategy for social change and liberation.

Research continues to suggest that young women experience body image concerns; nevertheless, the majority of this body image research has focused on white women, and the experiences of young Aboriginal women have typically been overlooked. When research has included Aboriginal women, it has generally been quantitative in nature (e.g., Gittelsohn et al., 1996; Marchessault, 2004; Story et al., 1995) and has highlighted body dissatisfaction that is equal to and even greater than that experienced by white women. Despite the alarming statistics suggesting that body image concerns are common among Aboriginal women, few researchers have engaged young Aboriginal women in qualitative research projects that seek to highlight their unique experiences. My previous research with young Aboriginal women (i.e., Fleming et al., 2006; McHugh & Kowalski, in press) are some of the first Canadian studies to have an exclusive focus on Aboriginal womens body image experiences. This research suggested that young Aboriginal womens body image experiences may not be as negative as previous quantitative research has suggested, but highlighted the need to work with young women to develop strategies for positively managing body image experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to engage in a collaborative, school-based participatory action research (PAR) project in partnership with a local high school to provide young women, primarily young Aboriginal women, with an opportunity to manage their body image experiences in an effective manner.<p> Students, teachers, and staff of Nutana Collegiate participated in this project, which took place over a 10-month period from September 2006 to June 2007. All Nutana school members were welcomed to participate and many took part in the various action initiatives that were developed. A group of seven young Aboriginal women formed a core group of participants who were primarily responsible for the development and implementation of most action initiatives. A five phase PAR model, which was based on the work of Stringer and Genat (2004), was proposed as the methodological framework for this project. However, given the emergent and dynamic nature of PAR processes, and the unique features of the school community, the manner in which the project actually unfolded was quite different from the original plan. This project ultimately had two phases, the Relationship Building Phase and the Action Phase.<p> In an effort to develop relationships with school community members, during the Relationship Building phase I engaged in the three general processes of: familiarization, making connections, and giving back to the school. My commitment to these processes supported my initial goal to develop trusting relationships with community members, which subsequently formed a strong foundation for the development of effective and successful action initiatives. Eight action initiatives, which were represented by three themes, were developed and implemented as part of the Action phase. The three themes were: (1) Promoting Positive Body Image Experiences, (2) Self-Expression, and (3) Creating Awareness.<p> The development and implementation of action at various levels (i.e., individual, school, provincial, and national) was the most significant outcome of this research. The success and relevance of the various action initiatives was demonstrated by the words of the participants, the overall support of various school members, and the commitment of the core group to the goals of this PAR project. Although there were methodological challenges and considerations that needed to be navigated throughout this PAR project, findings from this research suggest that universities and local high schools can and should work together to develop school-based body image programs for young Aboriginal women. As well, and maybe most importantly, this research highlights the strength of using PAR methodologies when engaging young Aboriginal women in body image research.

Research continues to suggest that young women experience body image concerns; nevertheless, the majority of this body image research has focused on white women, and the experiences of young Aboriginal women have typically been overlooked. When research has included Aboriginal women, it has generally been quantitative in nature (e.g., Gittelsohn et al., 1996; Marchessault, 2004; Story et al., 1995) and has highlighted body dissatisfaction that is equal to and even greater than that experienced by white women. Despite the alarming statistics suggesting that body image concerns are common among Aboriginal women, few researchers have engaged young Aboriginal women in qualitative research projects that seek to highlight their unique experiences. My previous research with young Aboriginal women (i.e., Fleming et al., 2006; McHugh & Kowalski, in press) are some of the first Canadian studies to have an exclusive focus on Aboriginal womens body image experiences. This research suggested that young Aboriginal womens body image experiences may not be as negative as previous quantitative research has suggested, but highlighted the need to work with young women to develop strategies for positively managing body image experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to engage in a collaborative, school-based participatory action research (PAR) project in partnership with a local high school to provide young women, primarily young Aboriginal women, with an opportunity to manage their body image experiences in an effective manner.<p> Students, teachers, and staff of Nutana Collegiate participated in this project, which took place over a 10-month period from September 2006 to June 2007. All Nutana school members were welcomed to participate and many took part in the various action initiatives that were developed. A group of seven young Aboriginal women formed a core group of participants who were primarily responsible for the development and implementation of most action initiatives. A five phase PAR model, which was based on the work of Stringer and Genat (2004), was proposed as the methodological framework for this project. However, given the emergent and dynamic nature of PAR processes, and the unique features of the school community, the manner in which the project actually unfolded was quite different from the original plan. This project ultimately had two phases, the Relationship Building Phase and the Action Phase.<p> In an effort to develop relationships with school community members, during the Relationship Building phase I engaged in the three general processes of: familiarization, making connections, and giving back to the school. My commitment to these processes supported my initial goal to develop trusting relationships with community members, which subsequently formed a strong foundation for the development of effective and successful action initiatives. Eight action initiatives, which were represented by three themes, were developed and implemented as part of the Action phase. The three themes were: (1) Promoting Positive Body Image Experiences, (2) Self-Expression, and (3) Creating Awareness.<p> The development and implementation of action at various levels (i.e., individual, school, provincial, and national) was the most significant outcome of this research. The success and relevance of the various action initiatives was demonstrated by the words of the participants, the overall support of various school members, and the commitment of the core group to the goals of this PAR project. Although there were methodological challenges and considerations that needed to be navigated throughout this PAR project, findings from this research suggest that universities and local high schools can and should work together to develop school-based body image programs for young Aboriginal women. As well, and maybe most importantly, this research highlights the strength of using PAR methodologies when engaging young Aboriginal women in body image research.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to provide insight into the bodyrelated emotional experiences of young Aboriginal women. Four young women took part in this study; three who identified themselves as Aboriginal (one 14-year-old, two 18-year-olds) and one who identified herself as non-Aboriginal (18-year-old). An important strength of this study was that the young women were part of an intact group. The young women were members of a mentorship group at their local high school and this mentorship group was for young women who had faced adversity in their lives.<p>The intent of this study was to listen to the stories and experiences of young women in order to better understand the complex nature of their body-related emotion. Feminist perspective was used to guide the study because it is a voice-centered approach based on listening to women's experiences. Cognitive-Motivational-Relational Theory was used to ground the study because it recognizes that emotion is a complex and context driven process.<p>Through the use of multiple methods (i.e. focus group, one-on-one interviews, artwork) the young women were able to provide an in-depth view of their experiences. Stake's (1995) guidelines for case study data analysis were followed, and the collective story of the young women's body-related emotional experiences have been described. This study contributes to the literature on the body-related emotional experiences of young Aboriginal women in a number of ways. The young women in this study possess many of the positive attributes (i.e. confidence, optimism) that have been associated with resiliency. Also, the emotions that were experienced by the young women were very complex and dependent upon specific contexts. The five themes that emerged from the data were conflicting cultures, need to belong, personal identity, journey to acceptance, and the body affects everything. Overall, the young women in this study noted a general level of body satisfaction, which is inconsistent with previous research surrounding young women's body-related emotion. One of the most important findings from this study is that the body-related emotional experiences of young Aboriginal women are not as negative as previous research has lead us to believe.