Lifelines : an ethnographic study of identification processes and discursive practices in mutual aid groups

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dc.contributor.authorBell, Brenda Jean
dc.contributor.authorUniversity of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
dc.contributor.supervisorBrown, David D.
dc.contributor.supervisorChuchryk, Patricia
dc.date.accessioned2007-04-24T21:10:28Z
dc.date.available2007-04-24T21:10:28Z
dc.date.issued1999
dc.degree.levelMasters
dc.descriptionxiv, 310 leaves ; 29 cm.en
dc.description.abstractThis thesis research is an ethnographic account of how identity and a sense of community are discursively constructed and managed among participants in mutual aid groups. Research findings are based upon interview and observational data collected from two support groups located in a Canadian city. While members' accounts provide a basis for interpreting the meaning of support as experienced, researcher observations focus on discursive identification practices. My interpretation sheds light on the dynamic interplay between notions of community, symbolic boundary and identity. Participant stories grounded in experiential knowledge, serve as critical connecting nodes in the construction and reproduction of community and as legitimate leverage to resist denied agency. These case study findings suggest how support, community and identity are collectively accomplished, in part, by managing symbolic boundaries through positioning practices. An understanding of these micro-processes has practical implications for the development of mutual aid groups to meet health and social needs.en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/105
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.publisherLethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1999en
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Sociology
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.relation.ispartofseriesThesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science)en
dc.subjectSelf-help groupsen
dc.subjectSocial group worken
dc.subjectDissertations, Academicen
dc.titleLifelines : an ethnographic study of identification processes and discursive practices in mutual aid groupsen
dc.typeThesisen
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