Vappu Tyyskä
Associate Professor
Department of Public Sociology
Ryerson University
W/
http://snipurl.com/17zrj
Relationships Between Children and Their Parents in
the Tamil Society in the Diaspora
Friday, June 1st |
9:00 - 11:00 AM
Traditionally, in Tamil societies the responsibilities of health and well-being tend to be assigned to women who are wives, mothers, care-givers, and cultural-carriers. However, displacement, exile, and forced migrations have had a drastic impact on gender relations in Tamil society in the diaspora. This symposium will address gender roles, changing familial relations and functions as well as health and well-being of Tamil families in the diaspora in Toronto. While exploring how notions and perceptions of Tamil culture are instrumental in shaping and defining family and gender relations, the three individual papers in the panel will highlight: relationships between children and their parents; perceptions of and responses to intimate partner violence among Tamil women; and older immigrant women and their attitudes toward breast cancer screening.
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Dr. Tyyskä's present research deals with intergenerational and gender
relations among immigrant and minority groups. In the last five years,
she has conducted research projects on youth-parent relations in the
Iranian and Sri Lankan Tamil communities in Toronto. Additionally, she
participated in two large team research projects, on the needs of
newcomer immigrant children. She is currently starting a research
project on family violence in selected immigrant communities. Her most
recent publications include “Teen Perspectives on Family Relations in
the Toronto Tamil Community” in CERIS Working Paper Series No. 45
(2006); Action and Analysis: Readings in Sociology of Gender
(2006); “Immigrant Adjustment and Parenting of Teens: A Study of
Newcomer Groups in Toronto, Canada”, in Jatta Herranen, Vesa Puuronen,
and Jarna Soilevuo-Grønnerød, eds. Youth - Similarities,
Differences, Inequalities: Proceedings of the 4th International Youth
Conference (2005); and “Conceptualizing and Theorizing Youth:
Global Perspectives”, in Helena Helve and Gunilla Holm, eds.
Contemporary Youth Research: Local Expressions and Global Connections
(2005).