Learning from the Lives and Organization of the Women of Tira Chapeu, Cape Verde
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1992 "We can even feel that we are poor, but we have a strong and rich spirit" : learning from the lives and organization of the women of Tira Chapeu, Cape Verde. Marla Jill Solomon University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Solomon, Marla Jill, ""We can even feel that we are poor, but we have a strong and rich spirit" : learning from the lives and organization of the women of Tira Chapeu, Cape Verde." (1992). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 2121. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/2121 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "WE CAN EVEN FEEL THAT WE ARE POOR, BUT WE HAVE A STRONG AND RICH SPIRIT": LEARNING FROM THE LIVES AND ORGANIZATION OF THE WOMEN OF TIRA CHAPEU, CAPE VERDE A Dissertation Presented by MARLA JILL SOLOMON Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION May 1992 School of Education ©Copyright by Marla Jill Solomon 1992 All Rights Reserved : "WE CAN EVEN FEEL THAT WE ARE POOR, BUT WE HAVE A STRONG AND RICH SPIRIT" LEARNING FROM THE LIVES AND ORGANIZATION OF THE WOMEN OF TIRA CHAPEU, CAPE VERDE A Dissertation Presented by MARLA JILL SOLOMON Approved as to style and content: X - Q/La Susan C. Bourque, Member / In memory of Tionga and Djaneti, who taught me the important questions. May they live forever. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to numerous supporters, associates, and friends who made this study possible. In Cape Verde, I found support beyond my wildest imagination. Consecutive General Secretaries of OMCV, Crispins Gomes and Paula Fortes, as well as First Secretary Francises Monteiro, provided the access to women's groups that gave this study its shape. Corsino Tolentino, former Minister of Education, JoAo Baptista Andrade of the Direcqao Geral da Educapao Extra-Escolar , Luis Aradjo and Jacinto Santos of CITI -Habitat , Elizabeth Ramos of the Instituto Nacional das Cooperativas JosA , Maria Almeida of the Arcjuivo Nacional, Marie Gaillerand of OMCV, Anna Vicario of UNICEF, Vera Duarte of the Ministry of Justice, and members of PAICV also opened many doors for me. I would especially like to thank Manuel Antdnio Brito, my Kriolu teacher and language/cultural consultant, whose good cheer and faith in me transformed a difficult cross-cultural study into a fun adventure. Arnaldo Cardoso also transcribed numerous taped interviews with great care and accuracy. Teresa do Carmo and Angela Cardoso of OMCV provided constant feedback, friendship, and logistical help. Meg Glasston, Elizabeth Arnot-Hoppfer , and Dale and John Olsen helped in countless ways especially when I needed them most. Cecilia Martins Fernandes, Maria do Carmo Pereira Alves, Maria dos Reis Moreno Tavares, Manuel Antdnio Brito, Arnaldo Cardoso, and DAmocles SA Nogueira gave me "family" in Cape Verde. Lidia do RosArio made me a madrinha and Isidora Semedo made me her daughter. These two and the other women who participated in this study took me in and opened their lives to me; none of the pages which follow would be possible if not for them. v . My deepest appreciation also goes to the Social Science Research Council, the Fulbright Program, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, for funding this research. In addition, Tom Lodge of the Social Science Research Council provided priceless mentoring and encouragement. The personal support I have received has continually reminded me that I am not alone. I am indebted to my friend and "co-writer," Deborah Fredo. She has inspired and prompted me, by her own example, to tackle the fundamental questions of being. Her support in my darkest hours has helped me live again. My mother, Jan Merz, and father, Marvin Solomon, both contributed so much to making me the thinker and feminist I am today. Their unfailing love and good wishes for me have given me the freedom to pursue my dreams and fight my battles. My "family" in Massachusetts nursed me through fears, hopes, and heartbreaks while I was writing: Leah Wing, Judy Hofer, Flavia Ramos, Ruth Killough, Steve Jefferson, Kanthie Athukorala, Helen Fox, Auriza Rodrigues, Sally Rudney The members of my dissertation committee have provided the careful guidance to make this study finally appear on paper. David R. Evans' votes of confidence, insightful feedback, and willingness to learn along with me have pushed me forward. Gretchen B. Rossman provided essential methodological guidance and creativity. Susan C. Bourque gave me a dialogue with the world of "learning about women" that I was so hungry for when I asked her to join my committee. Their combined talents have challenged me to do the best I can, even when I've thought I could do no more vi , : ABSTRACT "WE CAN EVEN FEEL THAT WE ARE POOR, BUT WE HAVE A STRONG AND RICH SPIRIT" LEARNING FROM THE LIVES AND ORGANIZATION OF THE WOMEN OF TIRA CHAPEU, CAPE VERDE MAY 1992 MARLA JILL SOLOMON, B.A., NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY M . ED . UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS ED . D . UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Directed by: Professor David R. Evans This study explores, through participant observation and interviewing, the meaning of the experience of Cape Verdean women who P ar ticipate in a base group of the national women's organization of Cape Verde, OrganizaQao das Mulheres de Cabo Verde (OMCV) . The study addresses the significance of this type of organizational activity for Third World women, seeking to illuminate the perspective of women who participate in it. It also has three underlying purposes: (1) to fulfill a goal of feminist research to see the world from women's viewpoint; (2) to aid outside 'helpers' of such organizations to understand them more fully; (3) to contribute to theory-building about women organizing by examining multiple theoretical perspectives in light of a Cape Verdean group's reality. Based on 20 months of field research carried out during 1989-1991 with the OMCV base group in a low- income peri-urban neighborhood of the capital city, the study asks: What are the relationships between important themes in the women's lives and the activities and issues of vii their group? To answer this question, I studied the women's words about their lives and their group, revealed in individual interviews, group discussions, and informal conversation, and blended these with my participant observation experiences with the women, their group, and their community, situated within the national context. The study chronicles and reflects on this process of doing research across cultures using an interactive, interpretive approach within an openly feminist research program. From the study of the women's life stories, four major themes emerged: the (1) economic imperative and women's responsibility for survival, the (2) dynamics of help ties, (3) self-respect, pride, and status, and (4) issues of change and resistance. In the analysis of how these themes relate to women's organization activity, the help relationship symbolized by the ma.drLnh.EL or , godmother, appears key in defining group purposes, functioning, and relations. I suggest that the women's organization expresses tensions evident in Cape Verdean society at large involving gender, economics, and social relations and status, while it also serves as a subtle challenge to the status quo in the consciousnesses of women. viii . TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v ABSTRACT . vii LIST OF TABLES . xiii LIST OF FIGURES xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xv GLOSSARY xvi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Significance and Purpose of the Study ^ Rationale for Studying Cape Verde [ 3 In the Field: Refining the Question • • 5 Design and Methodology • Definitions and Limitations g Writing the Text Organization of the Study ’ -q PART I: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY II. WAYS OF SEEING: CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO THE STUDY 15 Conceptual Approach to Studying Organizations 15 Theoretical Perspectives on Women Organizing 17 Woman's Sphere and Woman's Power: Debates on the Public/Private Dichotomy 18 Gender-Class Relationships: Conflict and Compromise . 22 Ideology and Consciousness: The Possibility of Resistance 27 Women's Voices: Their Own Visions 33 Synthesis: Ways of Seeing Cape Verdean Women Organizing ... 36 III. WAYS OF DOING RESEARCH: METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE STUDY AND DILEMMAS IN PRACTICE 39 Where I Started: Development of the Research Approach .... 40 Principles of My Approach to Feminist Research 42 Making the Principles Real 51 Choosing Methods 59 ix Where I Went: A Preview of Research Process Issues 61 Getting In 62 My Role: Issues of Giving and Taking 64 In the Tira Chapeu Group 66 Details of the Research Process 70 Research Time Frame and Stages ’ ’ 70 The Study Group and Types of Data Collected 72 Transcription, Translation, and Language Issues 74 Data Analysis and Construction of the Text 76 IV. THE RESEARCH SETTING 80 Relevant Elements of Cape Verdean Society and Culture 80 A Luta Continua: A Organizagao das Mulheres de Cabo Verde 91 Generative Themes in Tira Chapeu Life 99 PART II: THE WOMEN'S LIVES V. THE ECONOMIC IMPERATIVE AND WOMEN'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR SURVIVAL: WOMAN AS PROVIDER 120 Work: Selling, Serving, Getting By 122 Relationships with Men 125 Having Children 129 Migration 135 Schooling 138 Democracia: Survival on a Grand Scale 142 Making Sense: A Summary 143 VI. HELP TIES: WOMAN AS MADRINHA AND FIDJADU 144 The Importance of Help Ties 145 Family Ties: Helping Each Other Get By 145 Created Families Illustrated: Mai-di-Kriason 148 Traditions of Djunta-Mon 150 Getting Ahead: Having a Madrinha 152 Apoio and Ass istencia : The State as Madrinha 161 The Limits of Help Ties 163 Problematic Aspects of the Help Tie System 169 Tying Up 173 x Pape VII.