article

Household and family among Lebanese immigrants in Nova Scotia: continuity, change and adaption

Journal of comparative family studies • 22 (1) • Published In 1991 • Pages: 39-56

By: Jabbra, Nancy Walstrom.

Abstract

In this study Jabbra examines culture change in the Lebanese-Canadian community by examining and comparing three different communities: i) Lebanese ('Stage I'), ii) First-Generation Lebanese-Canadian ('Stage II'), and iii) Second-Generation Lebanese-Canadian ('Stage III'). She focuses primarily on economic activities of households, household structure, and family norms and values. She finds that in Lebanon, households are still important social, economic, and political units; and division of labor in the housheold is based on gender and generation. In Stage II, immigrant households are smaller in size and have a reduced importance because of the Canadian legal and economic structure. Women 'become mainly consumers and specialists in social and biological reproduction (p. 54).' However norms and values change little. In stage III, class differences emerge in the community; the household, usually a nuclear family, is no longer a unit of production, and an indivdiualistic ethos appears. According to Jabbra it is the changes in household activities that influence subsequent changes in household structure and family values.

HRAF PubDate

1999

Region

North America

Sub Region

Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures

Document Type

article

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnographer

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Ian Skoggard ; 1998

Field Date

1977-1981

Coverage Date

1880-1981

Coverage Place

Nova Scotia

Notes

Nancy W. Jabbra

Includes bibliographical references (p. 55-56)

LCCN

74641687

LCSH

Arabs--Canada