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In the habitus of African American grandmothers: Self-identity, grandmothering, and words of wisdom

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Date Issued:
2000
Summary:
To test the images and expand upon the knowledge of the African American grandmother as set forth in the scholarly literature, 13 African American grandmothers, who share a southern African American cultural heritage, were interviewed. First, this study explores how each participant developed her self-identify as a grandmother and the emotional depth of that identity. The development of the participants' self-identifies as grandmothers and the emotional depth of their identities are related to a tripartite model of child involvement articulated as "having," "raising," and "keeping" a child. Second, this study explores how each of the women defines the practice of "grandmothering." Third, this study explores which practices and values the women feel are the most important to pass onto their grandchildren. The findings are interpreted in terms of Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice, and the concepts of women-centered networks and other mothers as set forth by Black feminist theorists.
Title: In the habitus of African American grandmothers: Self-identity, grandmothering, and words of wisdom.
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Name(s): O'Brien, Ellen L.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Brown, Susan Love, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2000
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 127 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: To test the images and expand upon the knowledge of the African American grandmother as set forth in the scholarly literature, 13 African American grandmothers, who share a southern African American cultural heritage, were interviewed. First, this study explores how each participant developed her self-identify as a grandmother and the emotional depth of that identity. The development of the participants' self-identifies as grandmothers and the emotional depth of their identities are related to a tripartite model of child involvement articulated as "having," "raising," and "keeping" a child. Second, this study explores how each of the women defines the practice of "grandmothering." Third, this study explores which practices and values the women feel are the most important to pass onto their grandchildren. The findings are interpreted in terms of Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice, and the concepts of women-centered networks and other mothers as set forth by Black feminist theorists.
Identifier: 9780599667402 (isbn), 15782 (digitool), FADT15782 (IID), fau:12534 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2000.
Subject(s): Grandmothers--United States
African American families
African Americans--Social life and customs
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15782
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.