The road to resistance: the stories of four Cape Breton women

MacSween, Marie (2004) The road to resistance: the stories of four Cape Breton women. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Through the vehicle of personal narrative, four women from the coalmining town of Glace Bay tell their story of the 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.

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