Picnics, potlucks and cookbooks : farm women's clubs and the livelihood of community in twentieth century Southern Alberta

This thesis examines the collective labour and resources utilized by farm women within the context of the farm women’s neighbourhood club in rural communities in twentieth century Southern Alberta. The ethnographic research explores the historic, cultural and political foundations of women’s labour on farms and in formal and informal farm organizations through interviews conducted with former members of two clubs that were actively involved in fundraising and philanthropic projects in their rural communities for more than forty-five years. The critical perspective argues farm women in rural clubs responded to the patriarchal farm discourse that gendered their labour by using their reproductive skills and resources to build and maintain friendships, social networks and mutuality, and do good works that ensured the livelihood of their rural communities.

Authors

• McNab, Tracy
• University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science

• Women in agriculture -- Alberta, Southern
• Rural women -- Alberta, Southern -- Societies and clubs
• Farm life -- Alberta, Southern
• Agriculture -- Alberta, Southern
• Women in charitable work -- Alberta, Southern -- Societies and clubs
• Dissertations, Academic

Identifier

hdl:10133/1297

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/1297