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Culture And Identity In Relation To Mental Wellness For The Haudenosaunee Community, Rammiyaa Devanathan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Since the arrival of European settlers, Indigenous peoples have experienced immeasurable adversities. The intergenerational trauma caused by colonization and legislation aimed at cultural desecration has contributed to mental health concerns. Assimilation policies that made cultural practises illegal pushed knowledge and ceremonies underground and led to cultural and spiritual disconnection. The effects of colonization are as pervasive today as they were in the past. Western models of psychological intervention are antithetical to Indigenous worldviews and ways of knowing. As a result, mainstream mental health services have had limited effectiveness. Existing mental health literature on Indigenous peoples is largely rooted in a …

Culture And Classification: Investigating Analytic Vs. Holistic Thinking Styles, Neha Khemani

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This paper sought to explore cultural preferences for analytic and holistic thinking in classification. Experiment 1 paired the Shepard, Hovland, and Jenkins (SHJ) tasks with the Analysis-Holism scale (AHS) and a demographics questionnaire. Effects of culture on learning rates, alongside the feasibility of online data collection, were assessed. Learning difficulty differences among the six SHJ category sets were observed. Further, as predicted, higher holistic thinking correlated positively with the family resemblance task. Experiment 2 replicated the Norenzayan et al. (2002) task. Unlike in the original study, the effect of instructional condition was not significant across our full sample. Nevertheless, the …

An Examination On The Role Of Culture And Socialization On South Asian Women’S Pursuit Of Stem Education, Kinza Shaukat

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examines the experiences of five South Asian women who aspire for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at the University of Western Ontario. It also analyzes the ways in which cultural and societal experiences shape their pursuit of a STEM degree. The research questions being investigated through this study are: (1) How has a South Asian woman’s experiences in the home influenced their own perception of education? (2) What types of experiences have South Asian women had in different levels of schooling? (3) How does cultural identity inform the experiences of South Asian women in their …

Exploring The Mental Health Experiences Of African, Caribbean, And Black Youth In London, Ontario, Lily Yosieph

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative study explores the mental health experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) youth in London, Ontario, investigating how the factors of race, gender, culture, and place have shaped their perceptions and experiences of mental health. The data collection and analysis were conducted using a phenomenological approach and a critical lens informed by feminist, intersectionality, and critical race theories. These data illuminate the ways in which these young people’s attitudes toward mental health and help-seeking strategies are impacted by broader social constructs and community expectations, which they navigate and often resist in their everyday lives. Their insights can provide …

The Relationship Between Theory Of Mind And Executive Function: Are They Two Facets Of The Same Process Or Two Distinct Processes?, Isu Cho

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines the relationship between Theory of Mind (ToM) and Executive Function (EF). There has been debate on whether ToM and EF are two facets of the same process or are two distinct processes. Distinguishing between these possibilities empirically is challenging because the two abilities have similar developmental timetables and ToM tasks typically place high demands on EF, with the consequence that ToM and EF performance measures may be artificially correlated. Three experiments explored the nature of this relationship. Experiments 1 and 2 tested whether socio-cultural factors known to influence individual differences in EF (i.e., bilingualism, country-of-origin) extend to …

Perceptions Of Settlement Workers On The Needs And Challenges Of Female Syrian Refugees, Sheffy Bhayee

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Syrians account for a large proportion of recent refugee migrants to Canada. Settlement workers are the main point of contact for refugees; they remain with these individuals from the day of arrival until they have successfully settled. They are not only providers of information and assistance to meet basic needs but carry the responsibility of ensuring cultural integration. For this, it is crucial to understand the intersectional identities of the incoming migrant; coupled with traumatic experiences of fleeing from war, carrying cultured gender roles, and dealing with the anxiety and stress of relocation. The current study describes the settlement experiences …

Subjectivity, Passion, And Mystical Intuition: Nietzsche's Early Writing, Joseph Leivdal

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

For Nietzsche, the subject is aesthetically creative, meaning that the subject is a dynamic process of self-transformation that involves not only the subject’s sense of self, but the meaning of their world. In my first chapter, I look at "On Truth and Lying in a Non-Moral Sense" to show how Nietzsche deconstructs rationalist epistemology in order to show that knowledge and meaning are an aesthetic activity. In my second chapter, I look at "On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life" to argue that Nietzsche sees creativity as a passionate, sublime overflow, a rupture with the present that artistically …

Tanks And Tinsel: The American Celebration Of Christmas During World War Ii, Samantha Desroches

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

“Tanks and Tinsel: The American Celebration of Christmas during World War II” is an examination of the American celebration of Christmas during World War II. As the first comprehensive investigation into the most well-known holiday in Western culture and its role in shaping Americans’ experience and understanding of the war, it contributes to historical scholarship in three ways. First, it continues the trend of blending analyses of society into military-focused narratives of the war, and it expands the scope of this by fusing the literature of War and Society with that of Holiday History. Second, it challenges traditional views of …

Learning Lessons From The Impacts Of Relocating Indigenous Scholars For Academic Appointments, Andrew Judge

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In 2014 and 2015, significant efforts were made by colleges, institutes, and universities to overhaul Indigenous post secondary education in Canada. For universities, the reasons are clear. University achievement rates for Indigenous peoples living in the sixty-five closest communities to where the 15 research intensive universities in Canada (U15) are located is five times lower then the national average. Three major documents outlining strategic plans identified a need to increase Indigenous faculty who represent just .3% of total academic staff at U15. To better grasp how increasing IUI numbers at U15 will impact them a multisite exploratory case study grounded …

Soccer, Space, And Community Integration: Being And Becoming Canadian In London, Ontario Through The World's Game, Marcelo Eduardo Herrera

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract:

In this thesis I explore various forms of participation in organized soccer in London, Ontario – a mid-sized Canadian city with a diverse and growing immigrant community. My research took place between April 2015 and September 2015 and is based on focus group discussions, individual interviews, and casual conversations mainly, but not exclusively, with players and non-players, parents of players, and team or club administrators from London’s soccer community. My work’s primary objective is to provide an informed account of how and why soccer has and continues to be used by immigrant groups in London to integrate into Canadian …

Accessing Healthcare In Ontario: Influences On Utilization Among Asian Immigrant Women, Gwynne Ng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Previous research on immigrant integration has tended to focus on economic and social integration. As such, the factors shaping health integration are less understood. At the same time, health researchers suggest that immigrants in Canada may underutilize certain health services. For instance, studies have documented the low participation rates of cervical cancer screening among Asian immigrant women in Canada (Xiong, Murphy, Matthews, Gadag, & Wang, 2010; McDonald & Kennedy, 2007; Woltman & Newbold, 2007). This study sheds light on immigrant integration by exploring the experiences of Asian immigrant women with cervical cancer screening and Canadian healthcare services more broadly. Through …

Communities Of Practice As A Knowledge Translation And Exchange Strategy: A Qualitative Secondary Ethnographic Analysis, Qudsia Shaheen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study was a secondary qualitative analysis that used the constructivist paradigm and an ethnographic approach to explore the culture and success factors of two Communities of Practice (CoPs). The CoPs, housed by the Seniors Health Knowledge Network (SHKN), worked in wound care and complex care resolution for older adults. Five themes emerged through data analysis: 1) Hope and Desire to Cause Real, Effective Change, 2) Appreciation for Bringing Together Diverse People and Experiences, 3) Aspiring to Work Together as a Harmonious Team, 4) Striving for Strong Work Ethic and Good Practices to Achieve Efficiency and Productivity and 5) Tensions, …

Rekindling The Flame: An Exploration Of The Relationships Between Health, Culture And Place Among Urban First Nations Men Living In London, Ontario, Cindy Smithers Graeme

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this dissertation, I present the findings of a community-based participatory research project with the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC). Embracing a decolonizing methodology that draws upon strengths-based and intersectional approaches, I qualitatively explore the relationships between health, culture and place among urban First Nations men living in the city of London, Ontario.

Indigenous cultures are broadly defined as a “systems of belief, values, customs, and traditions that are transmitted from generation to generation through teachings, ecological knowledge and time-honoured land-based practices” (McIvor & Napoleon, p. 6). Culture is increasingly recognized as an important determinant of Indigenous health …

Toward An Inclusive Islamic Identity? A Study Of First- And Second-Generation Muslims In Canada, Aisha Birani

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Toward an Inclusive Islamic Identity? A Study of First- and Second-Generation Muslims in Canada examines the intergenerational differences between first- and second-generation Muslims living in Canada, and the way in which they define their personal identities as both Muslim and Canadian. It aims to investigate the integration experiences of Muslims in Canada in order to understand how closely they derive a sense of belonging from Islam and/or their religious communities, and how their identification with Islam limits or stimulates their sense of belonging in Canada. The main research question I pose, therefore, is: how does being Muslim affect the likelihood …

Republican Nationalism: Nations, Cultures, And Politics, Bojan Ratkovic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This project deals with the ongoing importance of nations, cultures, and politics in the modern world, and with the complex and layered relationships between them. Despite the expanding phenomenon of globalization, which promises to open up borders and tear down the boundaries between peoples, nations remain the most important actors in international politics and nationalism continues to be a potent force throughout the world. This project explores the significance of nations and cultures for politics, with special emphasis on the importance of nationalism and nationalist theory in the twenty-first century. I argue that there are significant gaps in the literature …

An Ethnographic Study Examining Nurse-Client Relationships In A Jordanian Mental Health Care Setting, Wafa'a Falah Ta'an

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

An Ethnographic Study Examining Nurse-Client Relationships in a Jordanian Mental Health Care Setting

The nurse-client relationship is viewed as the primary human contact that is crucial to providing nursing care. Interaction processes need to be investigated within their cultural context in order for the nurses to establish a therapeutic nurse-client communication that is congruent with the culture in which it takes place.

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the Jordanian mental health care system, and investigate how the cultural values and beliefs of Jordanians shape nurse-client relationships. The study utilized an ethnonursing approach. Data were collected …

An Investigation Of Health Literacy, Acculturation, Diabetes Knowledge, And Social Supports Among Latinos With Diabetes In Southern Ontario, Ivonne Aguilar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The prevalence of diabetes is high among Latino people. This study investigated the relationships between health literacy, acculturation, social support, and diabetes-related knowledge among Latino adults with Type 2 diabetes and informal caregivers with a family history of Type 2 diabetes. A non-experimental, cross-sectional design was used to examine these relationships among 73 adult Latino participants living in Southern Ontario. Based on Nutbeam’s conceptualization of health literacy, associations existed between health literacy, acculturation and knowledge of diabetes among Latino participants, yet the concept of social support showed no direct relationship to health literacy. This research has explored the factors that …

Resilience Factors In School Youth: Looking Through Gender And Cultural Lenses, Diana Chanthury Saverimuthu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study investigated resiliency in school youth undergoing the transition to high school. Using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (Ungar & Liebenberg, 2011), gender and cultural differences in resiliency were examined in senior level elementary school students. Gender differences were not found in global and community resilience scores. Cultural differences could not be investigated in this study because of low statistical power. High school concerns revealed three themes: a) academic concerns; b) social concerns; c) violence concerns. Similarly, high school aspirations revealed three themes: a) academic aspirations; b) social aspirations; c) expansion of world experience. Implications for developing appropriate …

Dishonoured Americans: Loyalist Manhood And Political Death In Revolutionary America, Timothy J. Compeau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation offers a new reading of the loyalist experience by drawing on the insights and methodologies of cultural history and the anthropological study of honour, as well as the history of masculinity, to contextualize the class and gender-based concerns embedded in patriot and loyalist written records. American revolutionaries attacked loyalist men using deeply gendered language and symbols, and succeeded in dishonouring loyalism in general, while also driving individual loyalists from their communities. Male loyalists relied on the same culture of honour to rationalize their experiences, justify their continued allegiance to the Crown, and transform injuries intended as marks of …

Voces, Silencios, Ambigüedades Y Fantasmagorías En El Espacio Transafricano De La Narrativa De Viajes Del Siglo Xix, Dorismel Diaz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

It has been discussed that the manipulation of the image of the afrodiasporic communities in Nineteenth Century travel narratives accounts for the implementation of certain ideological practices when they were intended to be narrated. This thesis argues that the depiction of the afrodiasporic experience functions as a dual and ambiguous mechanism in which the textual incorporation of the population entails at the same time their exclusion. However, it not only reflects on the representation of black people; it also seeks to explore this ambivalence within the contact zones as well as the discursive patterns used to depict them during the …

The Vancouver Asahi Baseball Team And Cultural Acceptance 1920-1941, Christopher M. Pellerin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis analyzed how the Vancouver Asahis, through excellence in baseball, gained acceptance within the newspaper media and community from 1920 to 1941. An examination of Vancouver’s history and culture determined the importance of baseball to the city, especially upon Bob Brown’s, Vancouver’s greatest builder of the game, immigration. A history of the Asahis was also examined to help frame baseball’s importance to the Japanese and why they wished to engage in this specific sport. Through a content analysis within the Vancouver Sun and Daily Province newspapers, this thesis examined how the Asahis were represented in each of the two …

The Transition To Motherhood: Women's Experience As Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Laura A. Welch

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The present study explored the lived experience of first-time pregnant women who have survived childhood sexual abuse and have immigrated to Canada. This experience was explored through an ecological lens to understand the multiple layers of impact these experiences had in these women’s lives. Secondary data interviews, from a larger study on embodied trauma, were analyzed to better understand the impact of childhood sexual abuse, immigration and culture on the transition to motherhood. Qualitative phenomenological method was followed. Three themes emerged from the data, including transitions, vulnerability, and role concepts. Findings were compared with existing research. Implications for helping professionals, …

The Relationship Between Culture And Counterproductive Workplace Behaviors: A Meta-Analysis, Olusore Anita Taylor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) – behaviors that are deemed harmful to organizations and their employees (Bennett & Robinson, 2000). Unfortunately, little knowledge exists on the universality of well-established theories on CWBs across different cultures. Most theories have been developed using studies conducted in the United States and Canada, limiting our ability to confidently extrapolate these theories to other cultures.

In this study, I examine the relationship between culture and CWBs. Specifically, two questions are addressed. First, does culture have a direct relationship with CWBs? Using GLOBE’s cultural dimensions, …