Once, twice, thrice : Gujarati immigrants and their storytelling / Lee-Ellen Marvin.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Microformat

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Marvin, Lee-Ellen.

Contributor:

Abrahams, Roger, advisor.

University of Pennsylvania.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Penn dissertations--Folklore and folklife.

Folklore and folklife--Penn dissertations.

Local Subjects:

Penn dissertations--Folklore and folklife.

Folklore and folklife--Penn dissertations.

Physical Description:

v, 272 pages ; 29 cm

Production:

2003.

Summary:

This work is a study of the storytelling of middle-class Gujarati families who have settled in the Philadelphia area. The initial research question was, "What is the role that women hold in Gujarati families as storytellers and how has that role changed among those who have emigrated to the United States?" Research was conducted through readings of texts by scholars and Indian immigrants and by conducting surveys, recorded interviews, and observations in India and Philadelphia. By constructing a cultural history, rather than close analysis of specific performances, this work explores the metafolklore of Gujarati storytelling in India and America within the context of colonialism and global migration patterns. The study found that in India, the paternal grandmother is presented as the primary storyteller in a joint or extended family, but that ideal contrasted with actual practice in which many members of the family tell stories. Although electronic media provides a remarkable global Indian culture which assists in the development of ethnic communities in the United States, face-to-face narrative---storytelling---is valued within Gujarati families for its ability to validate family relationships between the performer and the listener.

Notes:

Supervisor: Roger Abrahams.

Thesis (Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife) -- University of Pennsylvania, 2003.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

University Microfilms order no.: 3095918.

OCLC:

244973022