• Prospective
    Students
  • Current
    Students
  • Alumni
  • Research
  • News &
    Events
  • About Royal
    Roads
Main menu
  • Prospective Students
  • Current Students
  • Alumni
  • Research
  • News & Events
  • About Royal Roads
 
    • Admin Login
    View Item 
    •   VIURRSpace Home
    • RRU
    • Student Research Collection
    • Dissertations & Theses @ RRU
    • View Item
    •   VIURRSpace Home
    • RRU
    • Student Research Collection
    • Dissertations & Theses @ RRU
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    “We’re not just Canadian” : identity negotiations of Canadian Sikh women living with their in-laws

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    dhillon_sanita.pdf (1.402Mb)
    Date
    2017-08-29
    Author
    Dhillon, Sanita
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Subject
    Canadian-Sikh; Identity; Joint family; Patrilocality; Punjabi Sikh; Women
    Abstract
    It may be unusual to hear about married couples choosing to live permanently with the husband’s parents, especially in Canada. However, it is common knowledge among Canadian Sikhs that the tradition of patrilocality remains a cultural ideal in their community. This study provided an opportunity for Canadian Sikh women to speak to this topic as their voices have not been significantly heard within academic literature or within the Sikh community. The research took the form of a narrative inquiry through sharing circles in which five women, including myself, shared their stories and reflected and interpreted the meanings together over the course of three sessions. The findings were analyzed using the theoretical concepts of bi-cultural identity, the dialogical self and voice as they offered a contemporary approach to understanding identity constructions within two cultures. The study revealed that the majority of the women wanted others around them to have a more “Canadian” mindset in terms of equality, desired space and open communication with their in-laws, and were critical of the contradictions between the Punjabi culture and Sikh religion. However, all the women expressed pride in the Punjabi culture and Sikh religion, some took pride in the joint family and all said they were supportive of other women within patrilocality. Overall it was evident that Canadian Sikh women, confronted with patrilocality and various cultural ideologies, expressed their Canadian values as well as pride in the Punjabi culture and Sikh religion; Through bi-cultural identity negotiation and inner and external dialogue, women made difficult decisions about their lives and identities. This study furthers the understanding of social and cultural change and women’s experiences in diasporic contexts by offering support of the theoretical concepts introduced and applied by others. In addition it offers a deeper understanding of the identity constructions of these Punjabi Sikh women who are confronted with patrilocality in Canada.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10613/5094
    http://dx.doi.org/10.25316/IR-80
    Collections
    • Dissertations & Theses @ RRU
    • MA Professional Communication Theses

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Thumbnail

      Right now, not yet, it's yet : Canadian Catholic women negotiate feminist and spiritual identities 

      Weavell, April (2018-07-25)
      This interpretive phenomenological study examines the experiences of five Canadian Roman Catholic feminist women who choose to manage their identities from inside of the Catholic Church. Narratives illuminate the multitude ...
    • Thumbnail

      Favourite recipes of Canadian women [title page] 

      Nestle's Home Economics Bureau (Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 1935)
      Soups and sauces, fish and luncheon dishes, meats and vegetables, pies and puddings, cakes and cookies, Candy and ice cream, biscuits and miscellaneous.
    • Thumbnail

      Digital dating in Kelowna, BC : examining how women experience online dating in a small, Canadian city 

      McCluskey, Melissa K. (2017-09-13)
      Today, many individuals seek to establish intimate relationships using various forms of computer-mediated communication, including online dating sites and mobile applications. Investigating the ways in which location, in ...

    Browse

    All of VIURRSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    Admin LoginRegister
    back to top  
    Royal Roads University
    Our Location
    2005 Sooke Road
    Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2
    Canada
    •   Campus Map
    Get in Touch
    •   Phone: 250.391.2511
    •   Toll-free: 1.800.788.8028
    •   Email Us
    •   Directories
    @RoyalRoadsRRU FacebookRRU LinkedInRRU YouTubeRRU Pinterest
    • Contact Us
    • Send Feedback
    • Website Feedback
    • Privacy Policy
    • Academic Regulations
    • Copyright
    • Sitemap
    • ©2017 Royal Roads University
     
    DSpace Express is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV