Giving Voices to Jamaican Canadian Immigrant Women: A Heuristic Inquiry Study

Authors

Sandra P. Dixon, University of LethbridgeFollow
Dania Amin, University of LethbridgeFollow
Nancy M. Arthur, University of South AustraliaFollow

Abstract

The Heuristic Inquiry (HI) qualitative method applied in this study explored the role of Pentecostal faith in the post-migration lived experiences of Jamaican Canadian immigrant women (JCIW). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven JCIW whose Pentecostal faith helped them to reconstruct their cultural identity post-migration. The creative flexibility of HI allowed for the integration of the primary researcher’s (i.e., first author's) voice into the study alongside those of the co-researchers. Positioning the study within a postmodern social constructionism theoretical framework created space for multiple realities to emerge that were constructed through social interaction and language. These realities were evident in the unique ways in which the JCIW used faith to reconstruct their cultural identity during the migration process. Results revealed four key categories and 10 salient themes which were used to inform theory, research, and practice for counseling professionals. Recommendations for future research in using HI and the topic of cultural identity are discussed.

Keywords

heuristic inquiry, cultural identity reconstruction, Jamaican Canadian immigrant women, Pentecostal faith, postmodern social constructionism theoretical framework

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Sandra Dixon is a Registered Psychologist (Alberta) and an Associate Professor at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Her research interests include but not limited to faith, culturally appropriate counselling practices among racialized groups, multicultural counselling, racial trauma, anti-Black racism, cultural identity reconstruction, and immigrant issues. Please direct correspondence to sandra.dixon@uleth.ca.

Dania Amin is a graduate assistant in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge and is a Registered Psychologist and a Canadian Certified Counselor in Alberta. Her research interests include multicultural counselling competencies and counselling psychology practices in therapy. Please direct correspondence to dania.aminmc@gmail.com.

Professor Nancy Arthur is Dean Research in UniSA Business at the University of South Australia. Her research focuses on professional education for cultural diversity and social justice, career development, culture-infused counselling, and international learning and employment transitions. Please direct correspondence to Nancy.Arthur@unisa.edu.au.

Publication Date

7-29-2023

Creative Commons License

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

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2023.4775

Recommended APA Citation

Dixon, S. P., Amin, D., & Arthur, N. M. (2023). Giving Voices to Jamaican Canadian Immigrant Women: A Heuristic Inquiry Study. The Qualitative Report, 28(7), 2172-2212. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2023.4775

ORCID ID

orcid.org/oooo-ooo2-6282-1280

ResearcherID

0000-0002-6282-1280