This study assesses the family and social conditions that shape adults' interaction with siblings, emotional closeness among siblings, the nature and amount of their help exchange, and the compatibility of adult views on their shared sibling relationship. Analyses are based on three data sets: the 1986 version of the General Social Survey; an original study of caregiving, which included a follow-up telephone interview; and a mail questionnaire sent to adult siblings. Original respondents in the caregiving study who had at least one sibling (N = 198) were recontacted to determine the amount of help, level of closeness and frequency of interaction with all siblings in their family (N = 607). We received 248 return questionnaires out of 462 mailed from these "target siblings." In the GSS, we found that contrary to popular opinion, affectionate components of sibling ties do not inevitably eclipse practical ones. We also found that race significantly shaped the extent to which adults felt close and gave help to adult siblings. In our regional data, we learned that adults varied widely in their emotional closeness to siblings within their family; women exhibited greater range in closeness than did men. Adults' perceived compatibility of life views was a significant determinant of closeness with individual siblings. Adult siblings are also far more "practically present" in each other's lives than previously thought. While adults provide more help to parents than they do to siblings, they give relatively equal amounts of help to siblings as they do friends. Research findings also expanded our understanding of the role of parents, early in childhood and later in adult life, both ill and well. Adults who recalled a more cohesive early family life, and a parental emphasis on sibling unity, were closer to adult siblings than those who did not recall such emphases. Sibling favoritism bore no relationship to adult sibling closeness. Siblings with ill parents visited and telephoned each other less often, and felt less close, than sibling dyads with parents in good health. Finally, we observed that there is a striking amount of disagreement among sibling pairs on nearly every relationship dimension we measured.

This dissertation examines the ways that pollution taboo affects the life experience of Romany Gypsy women. A cultural analysis is made upon ethnographic data gathered from the Romany Gypsy community in Boston, Massachusetts, combining theories of embodiment with the Scheper-Hughes and Lock (1987) "three bodies" critical-interpretive model. Marime, as this taboo is known locally, is experienced as fear, shame and disgust and conceptualized in terms of top/bottom or inside/outside body symbolism which categorizes by analogy the sacred from profane, e.g., Gypsy and Gajo or non-Gypsy. This understanding leads to social praxis which is shown to affect the quality of Gypsy women's lives in personal, social and political domains. Since marime is a bodily experence which is predicated upon pre-existing cultural discourses and results in social action this analysis supports the theoretical view that the body is the ground of culture.

Citizenship education is a traditional tool for establishing the roles that newcomers are expected to take on as citizens. As such it is shaped by assumptions of what defines "good citizenry." Although it is commonly assumed that a good citizen participates in the political and social life of the community, notions of narrowly defined citizen participation such as voting have frequently prevailed in citizenship education programs. Opposing this restrictive tradition are empowerment-oriented citizenship education programs emphasizing a citizen participation that encompasses a view of citizenship as personal and community empowerment. This study examined the definitions, skills, and contexts of citizen participation in the words of the directors, facilitators, and participants of a Massachusetts community-based citizenship education program. Examples of how citizen participation was promoted through the curricula are offered. Internal and external challenges to the full participation of newcomers in their new society are also identified. Research strategies included multi-site case studies and historical and theoretical literature review. Data collection techniques included participant observation, interviewing, and document analysis. Research participants were found to be collectively creating varied and meaningful definitions of citizen participation. The citizenship education program examined was found to be contributing to the development of rationale, motivation, and skills for citizen participation by (a) providing opportunity for newcomers to investigate and connect historical and contemporary events; (b) facilitating the acquisition of critical tools including literacy, English, and information collecting and sharing skills; (c) providing support for the development of greater self esteem; and (d) offering opportunities to interact and act collectively within their local and greater communities. In the final chapter, the concept of critical civic literacy is discussed in the context of the research findings. Suggestions for empowerment-based citizenship education program development are offered. Citizenship education programs can make constructive use of participants' backgrounds as they begin the process of social, collective construction of the meaning of participatory citizenship.

This is a study of the social, cultural, political, and economic factors that shape the experience of HIV infection among a group of Latina and African American women living in the inner-city. By focusing on women's goals, the coping strategies and behaviors they adopt, and their perception of inner-city barriers the attempt is to delineate the broader interconnections between poverty, stress, disease, and coping among minority groups. A sample of 87 HIV+ Latina and African American women living in Hartford (CT) were interviewed. The research methods included semi-structured interviews, case study interviews, and ethnographic observations. With the majority of participants being single, unemployed, welfare-dependent, and living far below the poverty line, being infected compounded the economic marginalization they were experiencing. The contextualization of participants' lives within the inner-city revealed the synergistic presence of drug use, violence, poverty, and HIV/AIDS. After an HIV diagnosis, women described a process consisting of an initial phase of escalated drug use which was most often followed by a resolution to quit drugs. In coping with HIV/AIDS, women articulated goals and strategies that centered around reunification with their children and quitting drugs. But in attempting to achieve some of their goals, women were faced with a multitude of inner-city barriers. Foremost among them were the lack of money and the temptation to use drugs in neighborhoods replete with drug-distribution. Women utilized the coping resources at their disposal, namely religion, perceived support, self-esteem, and the support derived from partners. Important ethnic and generational differences were revealed in women's use of these coping resources, with African American women relying more on religion, perceiving and actually receiving more support, and having higher self-esteem, compared to the Latinas. Overall, women regarded their partners as the most important source of HIV-related emotional support. But in seeking this support, it became obvious that women's psychological and physical health was compromised because of the partner's drug use, violent behavior, and oftentimes HIV+ status. Finally, by focusing on women's access and experience with existing health and social services, it was clear that the nexus of class, gender, and minority status produced daily injustices that undoubtedly exacerbated women's HIV-related ill-health.

This study focuses on understanding the impact of the Cultural Identity Group (CIG) program on the racial/ethnic identity development of students who were involved in a sixteen-week program in an ethnically diverse middle school in New England. The program began in October 1996 and ended in May 1997. The cultural identity groups met once a week except during school holidays and vacation. This study was part of a larger project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The Cultural Identity Group model on which this study is based was jointly developed and piloted in a Western Massachusetts Elementary School by Phyllis C. Brown, MMHS, Ernest Washington, Ed.D., Allen Ivey, Ed. D. and Mary Bradford-Ivey, Ed.D. Qualitative and quantitative measures were used to gather information about the impact of the Cultural Identity Group on the racial/ethnic identity development of the students as well as on their attitudes toward people from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure developed by Jean Phinney (1989) was used to assess students' ethnic awareness. Interviews conducted with a racially/ethnically diverse sample from the Cultural Identity Group provided evidence of the impact of CIG on the racial/ethnic identity of participants. The findings in this study demonstrated that students who participated in CIG gained a heightened sense of their racial/ethnic self as well as an increase in interethnic awareness. There was an emerging awareness of the pervasiveness of racism among participants in this study. Participants also gained skills to help them deal with and interrupt injustice. These skills included recognizing ethnic jokes and developing constructive, practical solutions for confronting racist behavior directed toward adolescents. The implications of this study concern students, and educators, as well as theories of adolescent development and racial identity development. Providing students structured environments in which to talk and learn about their own ethnic background, race and racism may have a positive impact on their racial/ethnic development which may promote better interethnic relationships in school. Any study of adolescent development must consider differences as well as similarities in adolescent development based on racial/ethnic factors. Future and current educators need to learn about theories of racial/ethnic identity and understand how it plays out in adolescents' lives and in school, in order to create school culture that affirms all students.

In an effort to increase our understanding of the experiences of multicultural caregivers, this study investigated factors that might be associated with depression among Black, Anglo, and Latino Alzheimer's Disease (AD) caregivers and analyzed how primary and mediating factors affect each group. Thirty Black, thirty-two Anglo, and thirty Latino participants were asked to report on their experiences as caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease patients. Income levels, size of households, size of social networks, elders' level of impairment, and use of formal services were characterized as primary factors. Participants' attitudes towards caregiving, their levels of competence and confidence in their caregiving roles, and their appraisal of the elders' problems were characterized as mediating factors. MANOVAs and ANOVAs were calculated to compare caregivers' experiences in terms of primary stressors and mediating factors. Results showed that Black and Anglo caregivers rated their primary factors similarly and, for most conditions, more positively than Latino caregivers. In terms of mediating factors: (1) Black and Anglo caregivers reported a more positive appraisal of their caregiving situation than Latinos; (2) Blacks reported significantly higher levels of competence and confidence in their role as caregivers than Latinos; and (3) Blacks and Latinos reported stronger adherence to norms of filial obligation than Anglos. Appraisal was found to be a significant predicting factor of depression among Black and Anglo caregivers and secondary stressors such as factors that were not directly associated with the caregiving situation (i.e. problems related to the caregivers' living situation) were found to be significant in predicting depression among Latino caregivers. In conclusion, when examining the experiences of multicultural groups of caregivers, one cannot make assumptions based on common beliefs and myths that have been attributed to particular ethnic groups. Furthermore, when examining the experiences of caregivers of AD patients, factors that might not be directly related to the caregiving relationship but that may affect the caregivers' health and subjective well-being, should also be taken into account.

This longitudinal study examined the experience of caregiving among a nationally-representative sample of 10,537 middle-aged adults participating in Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the Health and Retirement Study. Individuals were classified as parent caregivers, child caregivers, and multiple (parent and child) caregivers. The low incidence of multiple caregiving found among these middle-aged adults questions the validity of the phenomenon described as the "sandwich generation." Females comprised the majority of the parent, child, and multiple caregiving groups. Contrary to expectations, Black and Latina caregivers were not more likely than whites to hold parent and multiple caregiving roles. A high frequency of caregiving role losses and a low frequency of caregiving role assumptions occurred between Wave 1 and Wave 2. Most notable was the finding that 41% of multiple caregivers and 70% of parent caregivers in Wave 1 became noncaregivers in Wave 2. In addition, only.4% and 6.5% of women assumed multiple care and parent care, respectively. These findings suggest that the experience of caregiving during the middle-generation years is of short duration and likely to decrease over time. No support was found for the "caregiving pile up effect" (Doress-Worters, 1994) among those holding multiple caregiving roles. Rather, female caregivers experienced a decrease in well-being regardless of their caregiving role transitions, while caregivers who gained or maintained caregiving reported better physical health than those who lost caregiving. In addition, caregivers' well-being did not differ from that of noncaregivers, with the exception of ADLs (better for caregivers). Ethnicity was found to play an important and complex role in predicting transitions in caregiving and well-being. As hypothesized, being a Black or Latina caregiver who lost parent care predicted worse well-being. With regards to the maintenance or assumption of child care, however, being a minority woman accounted for worse well-being. The negative consequences of child caregiving for Latinas is especially intriguing given their greater likelihood to maintain child care. There was some support for the notion that minorities' traditional family values in support of caregiving predict better well-being for women maintaining child care or for multiple caregivers.

The purpose of the study was to explore parents' socialization goals and to describe the patterns of caregiver-child social interaction for the sample of 6 Chinese American toddlers, whose parents immigrated to this country recently. The theoretical framework for the study was Vygotsky's sociocultural approach which assumes that children's thinking derives from human social relations and is embedded in the sociocultural context. The study used a qualitative method of data collection and analysis. Data collection included a demographic questionnaire, two focused interviews and videotaped observations of caregiver-child interactions in everyday activities and joint play. The analysis focused on how caregivers guided and facilitated children's learning and adaptation to life in a North American setting. Parental goals were identified and five themes immerged from the interview data: a focus on learning; an emphasis on developing a loving relationship with the child; an emphasis on bringing up a moral child; an emphasis on guided independence and on adopting the values of the host culture while maintaining the values of their own cultural heritage. Links between the patterns of parent-child interaction and the parental goals were explored. The parents' conscious, creative synthesis of cultural values and practice were discussed. Implication for teachers and clinicians were suggested.

Jewish Americans have been incredibly adept in public relations, and this study traces the ways in which Jewish narratives were used in the twentieth century to perform cultural work for the community. We Are Chosen begins with the premise that established Jews in Galveston, Montreal, New York, and Buenos Aires defined Jewishness in attractive terms in the early 1900s for political expediency, to challenge negative perceptions by non-Jews and promote esteem among Jews, and that these terms continue to inform conceptions of Jewish identity. Geographically, the project looks beyond (as well as in) New York, focuses on three dominant tropes (giving, mobility, and assimilation), and examines how and why these themes effectively translate religious election (“chosenness”) in the secular sphere. Jewish narratives and their ennobling rhetorics are often taken as a matter of course, even in the field of Jewish American Studies, but should be understood as products of a particular historical moment. As vehicles for positive public relations, Jewish narratives mask voices deemed unattractive or potentially threatening. Drawing from essays, organizational reports, periodical and historical writings, and works of Jewish American literature, individual chapters put dominant and protesting voices in conversation with one another and explore why some images are deemed “good for the Jews” and others are considered self-hating. Examining the history of Jews in other places does not detract from the importance of New York to Jewish American history or memory, but insists that there are more complex and dynamic stories that include, but are not limited to, New York and its mythic Lower East Side.

The psychodynamics of white racism is not a well-theorized phenomenon. Traditional discourse on racism has primarily focused on “black doings and sufferings, not white anxieties and fear” (West, 1993). In other words, approaches to the study of white racism tend to emphasize the general ways in which people of color are adversely impacted by acts of prejudice committed by white people. Approaches that emphasize the victim's experience often obscure the particular ways in which the perpetrators of racism should be scrutinized and analyzed. This conceptual study is a departure from the traditional perspectives, focusing instead on the perpetrators of racism, white racists. Specifically, this dissertation will examine the psychodynamics of white racial attitudes and actions. In this study, I propose that white racial attitudes are the expression of anti-black feelings and emotions that lie at the core of white racists (Feagin & Vera, 1995). In this study, I explore these feelings and emotions as they relate to black upward mobility, in particular, blacks that are perceived to be a threat to the dominant social and economic power structures. Unlike the economic approach to examining white racism, which is not concerned with the emotional and psychological elements of racism, the psychological approach views racism in part as an extension of the emotional reactions whites exhibit when threatened by changes in patterns of white domination and black subordination (Schwartz & Disch, 1970). In other words, whites who are racists tend to view life as a zero-sum game in which black gains represent white losses (Feagin & Vera, 1995). This approach to the study of white racism also provides a plausible explanation for extreme manifestations of racism. This is illustrated through the case studies of heavyweight prizefighters Jack Johnson and Muhammad Ali. White reactions to these prizefighters and their behaviors both in and outside the ring are indicative of the psychological dimensions of white racism.