article

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

Journal of comparative family studies22 (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.
Subjects
History and culture change
Acculturation and culture contact
Age stratification
Household
Community structure
culture
Arab Canadians
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