Performing ageing in Canadian fiction: Elizabeth Hay’s Snow Road Station
This article explores Elizabeth Hay’s Snow Road Station (2023) as a Canadian feminist reimagining of Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days (1961), examining how theatrical performance becomes a site for negotiating ageing female identity. Set in rural Ontario and centring on sixty-two-year-old actress Lulu Blake, the novel stages a collapse of professional and personal selfhood that echoes, but ultimately diverges from, Beckett’s existential vision. Drawing on feminist performance theory and social identity frameworks, the article analyses how theatricality and intertextuality shape representations of ageing in Snow Road Station . While Happy Days presents ageing as immobilisation and erasure, Hay recasts this through a feminist intervention that positions performance as a struggle between cultural expectations of invisibility and the insistent presence of the ageing female subject. In doing so, Hay’s novel transforms existential paralysis into a narrative of resilience and social reintegration, grounding later-life identity in seasonal, communal, and performative renewal.
- Research Article
2
- 10.3366/jobs.2019.0253
- Apr 1, 2019
- Journal of Beckett Studies
Happy Days is contemporaneous with a number of seminal contributions to the concept of the everyday in postwar France. This essay suggests that the increasingly constrained verbal and physical routines performed by its protagonist Winnie constitute a portrait of the everyday, and goes on to trace the affinities between Beckett's portrait and several formulations of the concept, with particular emphasis on the pronounced gendering of the everyday in many of these theories. The essay suggests the aerial bombings of the Second World War and methods of torture during the Algerian War as potential influences for Beckett's play, and draws a comparison with Marlen Haushofer's 1963 novel The Wall, which reimagines the Romantic myth of The Last Man as The Last Woman. It is significant, however, that the cataclysmic event that precedes the events of Happy Days remains unnamed. This lack of specificity, I suggest, is constitutive of the menace of the play, and has ensured that the political as well as aesthetic power of Happy Days has not dated. Indeed, the everyday of its sentinel figure posted in a blighted landscape continues to articulate the fears of audiences, for whom the play may resonate today as a staging of twenty-first century anxiety about environmental crisis. The essay concludes that in Happy Days we encounter an isolated female protagonist who contrives from scant material resources and habitual bodily rhythms a shelter within a hostile environment, who generates, in other words, an everyday despite the shattering of the social and temporal framework that conventionally underpin its formation. Beckett's play in this way demonstrates the political as well as aesthetic power of the everyday in a time of crisis.
- Research Article
- 10.3390/healthcare12202089
- Oct 20, 2024
- Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
Personal, social, and environmental factors may influence self-efficacy and social reintegration among people living with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) in urban and rural areas. Novel data collection methods have the potential to characterize community participation (CP) in diverse settings. The objectives were (1) to describe and compare self-reported community participation (Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI) and Moorong Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES)) levels of individuals with SCI/D living in urban or rural Ontario, Canada; and (2) to determine the accuracy of an artificial intelligence (AI) optical mark recognition tool for extracting data from CP surveys conducted among participants after transitioning from inpatient rehabilitation to home and residing in the community. We partnered with SCI Ontario staff to collect MSES and RNLI survey data from adults with motor complete (e.g., AIS A-B) and incomplete (AIS C-D) SCI/D living in urban or rural Ontario, Canada, between January and October 2022. The Rurality Index of Ontario (RIO) from the postal code determined urban or rural residency. Optical mark recognition (OMR) software was used for survey data extraction. A Research Associate validated the extracted survey responses. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and non-parametric statistics were used to describe the participants, their impairments, and their reported CP levels across urban and rural settings. Eighty-five individuals with SCI/D (mean age 53.7 years, 36.5% female) completed the survey. Most of the participants resided in major urban areas (69.4%) and had traumatic injuries (64.7%). The mean total MSES score for Ontarians with SCI/D was 87.96 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 84.45, 91.47), while the mean total RNLI score for the same individuals was 75.61 (95% CI: 71.85, 79.37). Among the MSES domains, the lowest score was observed in response to sexual satisfaction (mean: 4.012, 95% CI: 3.527, 4.497), while the lowest RNLI domain item score was associated with the ability to travel out of town (mean: 5.965, 95% CI: 5.252, 6.678). Individuals with incomplete injuries in rural areas reported lower MSES and RNLI scores than those with complete motor injuries, whereas no significant differences were found in MSES and RNLI scores among urban residents based on impairment. These findings suggest that, depending on the environmental context (e.g., rural vs. urban areas), AIS categories may influence the perception of CP among people living with SCI/D. The OMR tool had 97.4% accuracy in extracting data from the surveys. The CP (MSES and RNLI) scores reported by individuals with SCI/D differ based on their living setting. In rural Ontario, individuals with greater functional ability reported lower CP than their counterparts living in urban settings. Although CP remains a challenge, the needs of individuals with motor incomplete SCI/D and heterogeneous levels of mobility residing in rural areas require exploration and targeted interventions. The OMR tool facilitates accurate data extraction from surveys across settings.
- Research Article
3
- 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06293
- Feb 1, 2021
- Heliyon
An autobiographical narrative inquiry of academic identity construction of PhD candidates through L2 authorship development
- Book Chapter
- 10.1002/9781444337822.wbetcfv3l003
- Dec 24, 2010
Margaret Laurence was one of the most loved novelists of her generation. She wrote, proudly, in the Canadian idiom, and she wrote of a smalltown experience that was specifically Manitoban but also applied generally to the whole nation. Her four Canadian novels and one short story cycle continue to be mainstays of Canadian literature, while her African works of fiction and non‐fiction are considered important contributions to the understanding of colonial experience in Africa in the 1950s. She was a noted stylist who also managed to convey complex political concerns subtly. In her Canadian fiction, she was interested in the place of women in mid‐century Canada, in how the social focus in the nation was shifting from a rural and small‐town experience to an urban one, and more generally in the changes in Canada's socio‐cultural fabric that occurred leading up to and following the nation's 1967 centenary. Her characters live in the fictional world of Manawaka, a town modeled on Neepawa, Manitoba, but they also migrate to Vancouver and Toronto, as well to London, England and rural Ontario, giving her social insights broad application.
- Research Article
- 10.1155/hbe2/1811677
- Jan 1, 2025
- Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies
Online harassment in digital gaming spaces has been a prevalent issue since the inception of gaming culture. Thus, this scoping review is aimed at understanding the gamer identity through the lens of the social identity framework and how these factors potentially contribute to the perpetration of gender‐based harassment. Following guidelines from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR), the following research databases were searched for relevant documents between March and April 2024: SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science, and APA journals. After filtering for replications, relevance, and full‐text accessibility, a total of 36 articles were included in the final analysis and review. Regarding the four dimensions of social identity framework, 81% (n = 30) of the reviewed articles discussed perception of intergroup context, 62% (n = 23) discussed in‐group attraction, 35% (n = 13) discussed depersonalization, and finally 30% (n = 11) mentioned interdependency beliefs. Overall, gender‐based harassment in digital gaming is an issue not simply perpetuated by male gamers against female players but also by women against their own in‐group, and it results in communities that are extremely hostile and toxic toward out‐groups, perceiving diversity and inclusivity as an attack on gaming culture.
- Research Article
- 10.4312/an.42.1-2.3-34
- Dec 30, 2009
- Acta Neophilologica
One of the signs of the universality of William Shakespeare's plays is undoubtedly their influence on plays written by other playwrights throughout the world. This is also true of Slovene playwrights who have been attracted by Shakespeare's plays right from the beginning of their creativity in the second half of the eighteenth century, when Anton Tomaž Linhart (1756-1795) wrote his tragedy Miss Jenny Love.-However,-Slovene knowledge about-Shakespeare and his plays reaches back-into the seventeenth century, to the year 1698, when a group of Jesuit students in Ljubljana performed a version of the story of ''King Lear in Slovene. The Jesuits used Slovene in theatrical performances, which were intended for.the broadest circles of the population. The first complete religious play, written in Slovene, is Škofjeloški pasjon (The Passion Play from Škofja Loka), which was prepared by the Cistercian monk Father Romuald. Since 1721 this play was regularly performed at Škofja Loka for several decades, and at the end of the twentieth century its productions were revived again.In December 2009 two hundred and twenty years will have passed since the first production of Anton Tomaž Linhart's comedy Županova Micka (Molly, the Mayor's Daughter). It was first performed in Ljubljana by the Association of Friends of the Theatre on 28 December 1789, and it was printed in 1790 together with Linhart's second comedy, Ta veseli dan ali Matiček se ženi (This Happy Day, or Matiček Gets Married; which was also published in 1790, but not performed until 1848). These comedies represent the climax of Linhart's dramatic endeavours. Linhart's first published play was Miss Jenny Love (1780), which he wrote in German. In the first chapter of my study 1shall discuss the adaptation of Shakespeare's texts for the theatre, which was not practiced only in Austria and Germany, but since the 1660s also in England. Further on I discuss also Linhart's use of language as the "means of communication". In a brief presentation of Linhart's life and his literary creativity I shall suggest some reasons for his views on life, religion and philosophy. They can be seen in his translation of Alexander Pope's "Essay on Man" as well as his appreciation of Scottish poetry. The influence of German playwrights belonging to the Sturm and Drang movement (e.g. G. T. Lessing, J. F. Schiller, F. M. Klinger) has been frequently discussed by Slovene literary historians, and therefore it is mentioned here only in passing. Slovene critics have often ascribed a very important influence of English playwright George Lillo on Linhart' s tragedy Miss Jenny Love, but its echoes are much less visible than the impact of Shakespeare's great tragedies, particularly in the structure, character presentations and the figurative use of language in Linhart's tragedy. 1shall try to prove this influence in the final part of my study.Because my study is oriented towards British and Slovene readers, 1had to include some facts which may be well-known to one group or to another group of readers. Nevertheless I hope that they will all find in it enough evidence to agree with me that Shakespeare's influence on Linhart's play Miss Jenny Love was rather important.
- Research Article
42
- 10.1002/art.21849
- Mar 31, 2006
- Arthritis Care & Research
To examine the extent to which arthritis intruded upon 4 social roles (spouse, homemaker, parent, worker). In accordance with propositions set forth by social identity theory and the identity-relevant stress hypothesis, we hypothesized that 1) illness intrusion would predict psychological well-being and 2) role importance would moderate the relationship between illness intrusion and psychological adjustment, such that intrusion into highly valued roles would be the most psychologically distressing. Participants were recruited from the practices of rheumatologists affiliated with a major urban hospital. A total of 113 individuals (73% women) with diagnosed rheumatic disease completed a mailed questionnaire. For all 4 roles, illness intrusion was related to decreased psychological well-being. In the worker and parent roles, the effects of illness intrusion on adjustment were moderated by whether respondents valued these particular roles. For example, psychological well-being was lowest among those individuals whose illness intruded greatly upon work and who highly valued their worker role identity. The findings highlight the advantages of assessing both domain-specific illness intrusion and role importance in predicting psychological well-being among persons with rheumatic diseases. Importantly, results also demonstrate the utility of applying a social identity framework in understanding adjustment processes among persons with chronic illness.
- Research Article
1
- 10.1080/10428232.2023.2259781
- Sep 2, 2023
- Journal of Progressive Human Services
Although much attention focuses on mental health recovery and stigma, less attention is paid to substance use especially in rural areas. This qualitative study draws on Foucauldian and intersectional approaches to examine the sociocultural processes by which stigmatized identities are constructed and rejected at micro and macro levels. A thematic analysis is applied to 40 interviews with people with substance use issues in two rural communities. Findings illustrate that stigma is constructed through binary identity categories and intersectional identities rooted in neoliberal contexts. Resistance is demonstrated at personal, peer, public, and structural levels, offering counter narratives of strength and resilience.
- Research Article
45
- 10.1016/j.cpr.2013.07.004
- Jul 22, 2013
- Clinical Psychology Review
Understanding the impact of political violence in childhood: A theoretical review using a social identity approach
- Research Article
157
- 10.1037/a0018256
- Mar 1, 2010
- Psychology and Aging
We report findings from an intervention study that investigates the impact of group reminiscence (GR) and individual reminiscence (IR) activities on older adults living in care settings. This research aimed to provide a theory-driven evaluation of reminiscence based on a social identity framework. This framework predicts better health outcomes for group-based interventions as a result of their capacity to create a sense of shared social identification among participants. A total of 73 residents, living in either standard or specialized (i.e., dementia) care units, were randomly assigned to one of three interventions: GR (n = 29), IR (n = 24), and a group control activity (n = 20). The intervention took place over 6 weeks, and cognitive screening and well-being measures were administered both pre- and post-intervention. Results indicated that only the group interventions produced effective outcomes and that these differed as a modality-specific function of condition: Collective recollection of past memories enhanced memory performance, and engaging in a shared social activity enhanced well-being. Theoretically, these findings point to the important role that group membership plays in maintaining and promoting health and well-being.
- Research Article
5
- 10.1111/inm.13124
- Feb 2, 2023
- International Journal of Mental Health Nursing
There are several barriers to meaningful, non-tokenistic consumer representation in mental health, including stigma and negative attitudes towards consumers. The aim of this study was to examine mental health professionals' perspectives about collaborating with consumer representatives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 mental health professionals across Australia. Informed by the social identity framework, the findings are discussed in relation to the themes of (1) the need for greater clarity about the roles of consumer representatives, (2) perceptions about whether consumer representatives are held to equal professional standards, (3) understandings of consumers' place in organizational hierarchies, (4) facilitating more meaningful collaboration between consumer representatives and non-consumer health professionals and (5) the blurring of these identities when mental health professionals have lived experience. Findings suggest that the social identities of mental health consumer representatives (along with their organizational roles) are often unclear and need development within healthcare organizations. Leaders can provide guidance on group boundaries to enable effective collaboration. The implications for healthcare organizations and policy include the provision of clear frameworks for collaborative mental healthcare and clear roles, terminology and responsibilities for mental health consumer representatives.
- Research Article
41
- 10.1080/01446190310001631000
- Nov 1, 2004
- Construction Management and Economics
A prevailing trend of opinion in construction management research revolves around the importance of instilling a positive partnering culture in order to improve overall project performance. Indeed, the culture part of the equation has often been taken as a given and this has led to many normative and, at best, prescriptive claims about culture's consequences in terms of individual behaviours and practices. Despite this trend, no systematic empirical work has so far been undertaken to objectively operationalize or test the real effects of culture. This study aims to fill this research gap. Grounded in the social identity framework, this study proposes an alternative approach for operationalizing and examining culture's effects using data derived from 398 local and foreign senior managers from construction firms in Hong Kong. Results suggest that the relationships between culture and individual behaviours are far more complex than alluded to by simple normative generalizations. The study underscores an urgent need for future research to adopt a more comprehensive framework for defining and measuring culture in construction management research.
- Research Article
- 10.1002/jtr.2805
- Feb 28, 2025
- International Journal of Tourism Research
ABSTRACTMedical tourism offers specialized healthcare services and leisure opportunities, serving as a critical journey for transgender individuals seeking gender affirmation. Drawing upon social identity framework, gender affirmation contributes to membership and belongingness within a gender group, enhancing social acceptance. Medical tourism is often the only option for some transgender individuals due to local social stigma and discrimination, exposing them to greater vulnerability. However, there is limited research that explores transgender perspectives. This study deploys planned behavior and protection motivation theories to identify influential factors in transgender medical travel intentions. Employing a structured survey, rigorously designed and distributed among 435 Thai and Filipino transgender participants, the research quantitatively assessed how attitudes, norms, efficacy, and identity factors significantly influence their decisions, overshadowing health threat perceptions. Findings suggest responsible strategies that promote holistic transgender well‐being and highlight the need for a nuanced approach when navigating sociocultural and legal dynamics in transgender medical tourism.
- Research Article
169
- 10.1002/ejsp.329
- Oct 9, 2006
- European Journal of Social Psychology
A social identity framework was employed to understand why people support the exclusionary treatment of refugee claimants (‘asylum seekers’) in Australia. Over and above individual difference effects of social dominance orientation and individuals' instrumental threat perceptions, insecure intergroup relations between citizens and asylum seekers were proposed to motivate exclusionary attitudes and behaviour. In addition, perceived procedural and distributive fairness were proposed to mediate the effects of social identity predictors on intergroup competitiveness, serving to legitimise citizens' exclusionary behaviours. Support for these propositions was obtained in a longitudinal study of Australians' social attitudes and behaviour. Small and inconsistent individual‐level effects were noted. In contrast, after controlling for these variables, hostile Australian norms, perceived legitimacy of citizen status, and threatening socio‐structural relations were strongly and consistently linked to intentions to support the harsh treatment of asylum seekers, and exclusionary attitudes and action at Time 2. Moreover, perceived procedural and distributive justice significantly mediated these relationships. The roles of fairness and intergroup socio‐structural perceptions in social attitudes and actions are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
- Research Article
- 10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.103024
- Jan 1, 2026
- Psychology of sport and exercise
Cohesion at 40: A commentary on (re)conceptualizing cohesion through identity, interdependence, and teamwork in sport and exercise.
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