“Oh, Where Am I To Be Buried.docVIP

African Women in Alberta on Identity and Homelands By Denise L. Spitzer and Philomina Okeke- Ihejirika Department of Anthropology and Women’s Studies Program University of Alberta Presentation to the 9th International Metropolis Conference Geneva, Switzerland September 27-October 1, 2004 Abstract The imagining of homeland is an important anchor for members of diasporic communities. Transnationalism and deterritorialization, however, threaten to trouble claims to a “natural” identity grounded in a specific locale and homeland. These issues of identity formation and homeland are particularly intriguing for women whose responsibilities including enculturating children require them to model what they deem as culturally-appropriate behaviour as a means of shoring up the borders between us—in this instance an “African identity”— and the Other represented as “Canadian society.” This presentation examines the ways in which first generation African women in the Canadian province of Alberta negotiate identities in the context of their families, ethnic communities, Pan-African associations and Canadian society. For many, the location of their final resting place symbolizes their struggle over their identification of home and ultimately—who they are. Introduction Traditionally, women have been regarded as adjunct to male migration in the scholarly literature (Boyle and Halfacree 1999); however, in recent decades the experiences of women crossing borders and boundaries have been illuminated by an increasing amount of research and promoted by the efforts of the Metropolis Network (see Spitzer, Anderson and Meadows 2002). Given the ever-changing landscape of immigration across the globe, however, further explorations are always required. For instance, we are currently witnessing a new African diaspora wherein émigrés are propelled by economic, political and social disorder to leave their homelands and are drawn abroad to pursue educational and economic opportunities. Currently Ca