Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2008. / Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 153 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D. Genealogical Family History)--University of Waikato, 2008. / Title from PDF cover (viewed January 15, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 325-338)

This essay examines the incentives and notions behind the practice of genealogy, in terms of how discourses and notions of kinship, identity and history is expressed against the setting of genealogy as a cultural and social phenomenon that is gaining a growing interest amongst the general public. Through qualitative interviews with six amateur genealogists, the study explores how notions of kinship and history shape the way in which genealogists come to understand themselves and their place in the world. Furthermore, the study explores how genealogists make use of the specific knowledge that they have acquired through their engagement with genealogy. Through analysis of discourse and the logics approach, the essay shows that lack of specific knowledge about one’s ancestry is seen as an inherent reason for seeking knowledge through genealogy. The essay indicates that the notion of understanding oneself can be seen as a significant incentive and driving force in the practice of genealogy, where kinship is made meaningful through identity formation. The essay also shows that genealogy is made meaningful through notions and desires of belonging and affinity, and that genealogy can be seen as a way for genealogists to either create or maintain links between generations, to places, or with the past in general. Furthermore, the essay shows examples of how genealogy can be seen as a way to explore alternative aspects of history, and that the knowledge that is acquired through genealogy can be employed to challenge understandings of “real” and “authentic” history. Lastly, the essay shows that genealogy offers a backdrop of historic knowledge that can be used by genealogists to contrast notions of the past with notions of the present, in order to express criticism towards society, convey moral messages, and to make sense of the present time.

Drawing on critical feminist narrative inquiry, we explore illness narratives of women cancer survivors living in Southern Central Appalachia via a daylong story circle (n = 26) and individual interviews (n = 3). In our article, we argue that participants functioned as illness genealogists as a consequence of their central location in families, as well as their location in a place (Southern Central Appalachia) characterized by what we call “cohabitating morbidities.” We coined this term to represent the experiences of women survivors living with multiple, sometimes simultaneously occurring illness experiences in their family systems. Finally, we reveal and explore rules that guide their survivorship experiences and storytelling, contending that study participants preserve their central location within family systems by decentering their own survivorship experiences and stories.