Women's Voices in Education: Two Jamaican Life Histories. Ethel L
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1999 Women's Voices in Education: Two Jamaican Life Histories. Ethel L. King-mckenzie Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation King-mckenzie, Ethel L., "Women's Voices in Education: Two Jamaican Life Histories." (1999). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 6946. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/6946 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. 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WOMEN'S VOICES IN EDUCATION: TWO JAMAICAN LIFE HISTORIES A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Curriculum and Instruction by Ethel King-McKenzie B.Ed., University o f the West Indies, 1982 M.A., Louisiana State University, 1992 Ed. S., Louisiana State University, 1993 May, 1999 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9936098 UMI Microform 9936098 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION To the memory of Zillah V. Palmer, (Mama), the only mother I knew, and the woman who believed in me and my ability to achieve any goal I set myself. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The educators whose words appear in this study are in a very special way, its primary authors. Without their cooperation and trust there would be no study. To these women, I extend an enormous thanks. To my committee, I say thanks for being there to guide me academically and professionally and providing me with encouragem ent when my fa ith flagged. Dr. William "Bill" Pinar, thanks for being there for me. It meant a lot to know I couid always turn to you even while you were on your sabbatical. Dr. Miles Richardson, it was so good to know that I couid call you up at anytime and express my doubts and fears. Your support to me has been tremendous. Dr. Petra Munro, thank you for pushing me to the limit, for reading and re reading the manuscript and for your advice and suggestions in improving the work. Dr. Wendy Kohli, I extend a special thanks to you. You would not rest until I completed this research. You kept encouraging and coaxing me even at times when I felt like giving up. Without your constant support and persistent prodding this work would never be. You were surely "the wind beneath my wings". Thanks go to the International Chapter P.E.O Sisterhood for providing me with three fellowships. These fellowships helped to pay some of my tuition and fares to Jamaica to conduct my research. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. There are friends too numerous to name individually, who have in one way or another contributed to the completion of this work. Some of you are unaware of how much you have helped, whether it was just listening to my griping, offering suggestions, offering monetary assistance, or calling me to ask how I was progressing, you know now I appreciate every gesture. Special thanks to Evalyn Beer, my dear friend and an octogenarian, to Josephine Allen Oubre and Dr. Denise Taliaferro who helped to edit the manuscript. Finally, thanks to my family for standing by me throughout this period of intense sacrifices. To James, my spouse, I say thanks for your love understanding and support. Nsa, Allison and Jodi, my three brilliant and beautiful daughters, thanks for sticking out the hardships I have caused you to endure so that I could complete this work. Nsa, a special thanks for sitting up with me and helping to transcribe the tapes. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ......................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................ iii ABSTRACT............................................................................. vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION: WOMEN AND JAMAICA 1 My own identity .................................................................. 1 My own teaching stories ................................................... 7 Why did I decide to do this study ................................... 13 Purpose of study .................................................... 16 Significance of study ........................................................... 19 Limitations of stu d y ............................................................. 27 Stories of Jamaican w om en ............................................ 29 CHAPTER TWO: JAMAICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE . 39 History of Jamaica’s educational system ..................... 39 Female bias in teacher training ..................................... 52 A new politics ...................................................................... 55 Women officially recognized .......................................... 65 Who are Jamaicans? ........................................................ 66 The cultural identity of the Jam aican............................ 68 L a n g u a g e ............................................................................... 70 Class, gender and race in Jam aica ............................... 72 CHAPTER THREE: LIFE HISTORY METHODOLOGY ............ 75 What is life history method? ............................................ 75 Why life history? .................................................................. 77 Am I a feminist? .................................................................. 82 Collaborative nature of life history ................................. 87 Dilemmas of life history research ................................... 90 The life historian’s right to privacy ................................... 90 Exploitation........................................................................... 91 Need for anonymity ........................................................... 92 "Insider" ethnographer ...................................................... 92 Into the field ......................................................................... 100 Data analysis and procedure .......................................... 106 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER FOUR: THEIR STORIES-MY STORY TOO ............ I l l University of the West Indies and me ............................. 113 Meet M arlene ....................................................................... 116 M arlene’s s to rie s ................................................................... 122 Has gender anything to do with it? ................................. 131 Why don’t women educators w rite? ............................... 137 MeetPhyliis ............................................................................ 146 Phyllis’ stories ....................................................................... 154 The activist/politician ......................................................... 161 Periods of changes .............................................................. 166