Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Catholic women; Food--Social aspects; Funeral rites and ceremonies;

Abstract

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to learn what the activity involved in a Roman Catholic funeral dinner meant to the women who prepared and served it. This study examined the intersection between women's socialization, voluntarism, and religion in order to develop an understanding of the women's motivations as well as to clarify how they see their work and their role in this work. In this study I summarized the interviews with 10 women and participated in two funeral dinners. I also actively participated in the Church's women's group during and after my field research. The observations together with the questions asked in the interviews clarified the process of the funeral dinners. The interviews also provided an opportunity to hear how the women felt about their roles and their work. The primary finding of this study was that the women used the activity of the funeral dinners as a method of preserving and transmitting a unique culture of faith. Through their work on funeral dinners the women shewed that rather than performing a benevolent act out of a sense of gender role or religious duty, they used the gendered resources they had to intentionally make a contribution to their community of faith. In doing so, they transformed that community into one more of their liking and made it more fulfilling for the whole community. What supports the women's work of preserving and passing on their culture of faith is the way that they make meaning from their work with funeral dinners. The process of organizing the volunteers, preparing the food, serving the meal, and cleaning up all illustrate the importance of the event. This activity also demonstrates that the women share a sense of community, a group identity, a devotion to hospitality, and a willingness to work, which help to insure a future for their culture.

Year of Submission

1999

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Communication Studies

First Advisor

Victoria Defrancisco

Second Advisor

Phyllis Carlin

Third Advisor

Betty DeBerg

Comments

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Date Original

1999

Object Description

1 PDF file (127 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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TH_1999_Jones_Valerie_FullBook.pdf (55905 kB)
Non-redacted version containing signatures

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