CENTRE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND STUDIES TOTAL OF 10 PAG ES ONLY MAV BE XEROXED THE ROAD TO RESISTANCE: THE STORIES OF FOUR CAPE BRETON WOMEN by ©Marie MacSween A Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Arts Department of Folklore Memorial University January 2004 St. John's Newfoundland Library and Bibliotheque et 1+1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de !'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 0-612-99093-1 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 0-612-99093-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a Ia Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I' Internet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve Ia propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits meraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni Ia these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a Ia loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur Ia protection de Ia vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans Ia pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. ••• Canada Abstract Through the vehicle of personal narrative, four women from the coalmining town of Glace Bay tell their story ofthe closure of Cape Breton's mining industry. With the end of this traditional occupation the women, all married to coalminers, confront both a community challenge and personal challenge with the loss of the major family income. Considered within the parameters of Thomas McLaughlin's vernacular theory, the narratives point to the women's ability to articulate their own reality and to question those who hold power. The narratives reveal that contrary to seeing themselves as powerless, and notwithstanding that the course of action taken by two of the women is distinctive, each finds the courage and capacity to search for a new future. Finally, the issues of"care" as a gendered concept, and the notion of "empowerment" as a consequence of resistance are the key themes revealed through the stories collected. With the power that comes from choosing not to be a victim, the four women demonstrate that caring for and caring about others is life sustaining and profoundly productive work. 11 Acknowledgements Major accomplishments are the outcome of the love and support of many people. With gratitude I acknowledge those whose support ensured the completion of this thesis. I thank first, my family who walked with me throughout the journey; Rankin, my husband and friend, whose wisdom, understanding, and affirmation enriches my life; my daughters, Michelle and Mary Tanya, whose faith in me is a constant source of inspiration; Meaghan, my stepdaughter, whose enthusiasm for life in general and my projects in particular, is life giving and sustaining; my grandmother, the late Theresa MacLean, who serves as the wellspring for my interest in the lives of Cape Breton women. I thank Bev, Debbie, Diane and Edna. These women opened their hearts and homes to me in the midst of great turmoil in their lives. Without their assistance this thesis could not have been. Their contribution was immeasurable and I sincerely thank each of them. I thank two special people who inspired in me a love of learning; Richard MacKinnon, who opened the door of inquiry into the treasure trove that is folklore, and Jim St. Clair, who awakened in me the desire to learn evermore about my Cape Breton community. I also thank the faculty and staff of Memorial's Folklore Department and Folklore and Language Archive, each of whom contributed to my MUN experience. The successful completion of this research project is directly linked to the quality of guidance I received from my thesis supervisor, Dr. Diane Tye. What Diane knows and helped me understand is that, like storytelling, writing is empowering. What Diane does not know is that telling this story empowered me in ways that I am just beginning to understand. Thank you, Diane. m Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................................................... u Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... ..... ... ............................................................. m 1. Women's Stories and the Study of Folklore.... ................................................................ 1 Introduction ................................. ...... ...... .................................. .... .. .. ...................... ... ............................... 1 My Connections.................................................................................................... ........................................................... 3 Folklore in the Women's Lives ...................................................................................................................... 5 Folklore as Communication ................................... .. ........ ...................................... .. ... 9 Narrative Research ............. .................... .............................................................. ........................................... 9 Sandra Stahl's Personal Experience Narrative........................................... .............. 12 JeffTodd Titon's Life Story .. ....................................... ............................................... 15 Feminist F olkloristics .... ...... ...... ........... ....................... .... ....... .... ................. 17 Narrative and Social Change ........................................................................................................................... 19 Vernacular Theory................. ................................................................ ................................... .......... 20 Methodology .............................................. ..................... ......................... ............................ ....... .................................................. 25 Interview Participants................................................................................ ............................................................... 26 The Interview Format..................... ............................................................................ ......................................... 28 Fieldnotes and Transcriptions.... ......................................................................................................................................... 30 2. A Brief History of the Political and Economic Circumstances Pertinent to the Coalfields in Industrial Cape Breton . .. ........ ........................... .. ... 32 Introduction .................................................................................................................... ............................................... ... 32 The Political and Economic Events Characterizing the Development and Underdevelopment of Cape Breton Island ................................... .................................... 32 Annexation .................................... .......................................................................... ............. ................................... 34 Central Canadian Hegemony............................................................... ................................................... ....................... 36 Coal and Steel ....... ............................................ .................. .................. .. ... ................ .......... 36 The Men Versus the Company: The Development ofthe Trade Union Movement in the Coal Fields ................................................ .. .... ................ ... ... ...... ..... 39 3. The Road to Resistance: The Stories of Four Women .... .............. 49 Introduction .............................. .... ............................................ .. .......................... 50 Quiet Forms ofResistance ....................................................................................................................................... 53 Public Forms of Resistance .................................................................................................................................... 63 4. Caring for Family and Community Resistance ..........