Part I: Introduction
Chapter 1: "The People"
Part II: Life Out on the Land
Chapter 2: Traditional Roles: Gender and Survival
Chapter 3: Traditional Power: A Delicate Balance
Chapter 4: Traditional Socialization: Learning by Doing
Part III: Metamorphosis
Chapter 5: The Bad Times: Starvation Stalked the Land
Chapter 6: Transforming Traditional Culture
Part IV: Living on the Edge
Chapter 7: Culture Shock and Marginality
Chapter 8: The Impacts of Resettlement
Chapter 9: Families Redefined
Part V: Life in Town: The Changing Balance of Power
Chapter 10: Contemporary Roles: The Female Advantage
Chapter 11: Contemporary Power: A Reversal of Position
Chapter 12: Contemporary Socialization: Passing on the Culture
Part VI: The Bonds of Intimacy
Chapter 13: Love and Living Together
Chapter 14: Marriage and Divorce
Part VII: The Challenges of Change
Chapter 15: Violence against Women and Children: The Complexities
of Power
Part VIII: A New Century Emerges
Chapter 16: The Promise and Price of Education
Chapter 17: The Meaning of Work
Part IX: The Road to Equality
Chapter 18: Women's Rights and Political Participation
Chapter 19: Nunavut: Defining a New Political Identity
Janet Mancini Billson is director of Group Dimensions International in Barrington, Rhode Island, and adjunct professor of sociology at The George Washington University. Kyra Mancini is senior research associate for Group Dimensions International.
Essential reading for those interested in Inuit culture, politics,
and gender relations. Highly recommended.
*CHOICE*
Inuit Women talks about how we [the Inuit] cope with surviving in
modern times while maintaining the traditional ways. The people
explain life from their own experiences, some of them painful and
touching, so that you feel an ache in the heart when you fully
understand and have been there. Moving from the land to a high-tech
society in three generations is a lot to absorb and it is being
done here with an openness and ingenuity that is understood by
women all over the world. Much of our history is not written yet by
our people and this book shows how we can begin to do just that.
Our history is still oral, passed down from generation to
generation, but once more we are open to a new concept. This book
will be passed down as part of our history.
*Ann Meekitjuk Hanson, Commissioner of Iqaluit, Nunavut*
If we study the heroic struggle for survival by Arctic women and
men too closely, we risk seeing our own reflection, as the greatest
test Inuit ever face may well be invasion by our Western culture.
Inuit Women is a rare and potent combination—a book that
unflinchingly and painstakingly examines this clash of cultures,
listening carefully all the while not to miss the subtle poetry of
Inuit life lessons.
*John Houston, Arctic filmmaker, Diet of Souls*
This is a beautifully written work of feminist ethnography. The
authors weave the words of Inuit women into the text, creating a
running narrative that gives powerful voice to the women studied
while providing an extraordinary contemporary ethnography of Inuit
women. The book is original, for few who study indigenous people
evidence such strong concern about women and their social
problems—domestic violence, depression among youth, and high rates
of suicide. The authors also confront the new, unfolding Nunavut
identity and the potential for redefinition of male-female
relations. These themes, and many others involving women, men, and
their children, are woven throughout the text, making Inuit Women a
compelling read.
*Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban, Rhode Island College; author of Ethics and
Anthropology*
Ask a Question About this Product More... |