The Kodiak Study: Narratives of Diversity and Acceptance on the American Frontier

Authors

Steve Drewry, Capital UniversityFollow

Abstract

This article describes a qualitative study of diversity and acceptance on the American frontier comprised of interview data and ethnographic observations gleaned from a sample of residents on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Convenience and snowball sampling methods were used to select the study population, after which individual interviews with people who are members of various cultural groups were completed by the researcher. Also included in the study are elements of anthropological investigation, historical context and thick description. The data were analyzed using (primarily) narrative and thematic analysis placed in the cultural context of life on Kodiak Island. Findings suggest that multiple cultures can peacefully co-exist, and in fact co-create, a social milieu that is greater than the sum of its parts while maintaining independent cultural integrity.

Keywords

Alaska, Kodiak Island, CulturalDiversity, Oral History, Ethnography, Thematic Analysis

Acknowledgements

The author would like to offer his abundant thanks to Mr. Jerry Bongen, of Kodiak Island, Alaska, for his great assistance in conducting this study. He’s the best wingman a researcher ever had. Thanks also to the Gerhold Foundation, for a grant award that helped make this research possible. Finally, many thanks to Dan Wulff for his expert editorial assistance in helping to make this work stronger and fit for human consumption.

Publication Date

4-7-2014

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1250

Recommended APA Citation

Drewry, S. (2014). The Kodiak Study: Narratives of Diversity and Acceptance on the American Frontier. The Qualitative Report, 19(14), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1250