Background
Mrs. Billson was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on December 15, 1941. She was the daughter of Clifford E. (retired from Canadian Armed Forces) and Kathleen M. (a homemaker; maiden name, Billson) Ramey.
(Brings new and seldom heard voices to the feminist debate...)
Brings new and seldom heard voices to the feminist debate Janet Mancini Billson lets you listen to the voices of women of color, native women, and rural and immigrant women. She shows us the dilemmas they face working to preserve the positive parts of their culture that provide identity and closeness among generations, while casting off the negative parts of their heritage that may hold them back. Provides an alternative to the middle class, white, North American mainstream that has until now dominated our perceptions of women.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0029035120/?tag=2022091-20
(Inuit Women is the definitive study of the Inuit during a...)
Inuit Women is the definitive study of the Inuit during a time of rapid change. Based on fourteen years of research and fieldwork, this analysis focuses on the challenges facing Inuit women as they enter the twenty-first century. Written shortly after the creation of Nunavut, a new province carved out of traditional Inuit homelands in the Canadian North, this compelling book combines conclusions drawn from the authors' ethnographic research with the stories of Inuit women and men, told in their own words. In addition to their presentation of the personal portraits and voices of many Inuit respondents, Janet Mancini Billson and Kyra Mancini explore global issues: the impact of rapid social change and Canadian resettlement policy on Inuit culture; women's roles in society; and gender relations in Baffin Island, in the Eastern Arctic. They also include an extensive section on how the newly created territory of Nunavut is impacting the lives of Inuit women and their families. Working from a research approach grounded in feminist theory, the authors involve their Inuit interviewees as full participants in the process. This book stands alone in its attention to Inuit women's issues and lives and should be read by everyone interested in gender relations, development, modernization, globalization, and Inuit culture.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0742535975/?tag=2022091-20
(Keepers of the Culture: The Power of Tradition in Women's...)
Keepers of the Culture: The Power of Tradition in Women's Lives by Janet Mancini Billson (1995-03-15) [Janet Mancini Billson]
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MZ3QVPM/?tag=2022091-20
Mrs. Billson was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on December 15, 1941. She was the daughter of Clifford E. (retired from Canadian Armed Forces) and Kathleen M. (a homemaker; maiden name, Billson) Ramey.
Janet Billson graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965. In 1972 she finished Brandeis University, receiving Master of Arts and in 1976 Doctor of Philosophy (sociology).
Mrs. Billson held the position of a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Rhode Island College, Providence, between 1973 and 1991, since 1984 she was an acting associate dean of students and director of student life, and from 1984 to 1986 an assistant dean of faculty of arts and sciences.
From 1991 till 1995 Mrs. Billson worked at American Sociological Association, Washington, DC, as an assistant executive officer and director of the academic and professional affairs program. During 1993-1995 she acted as an adjunct professor of sociology and women’s studies at George Washington University, Washington, DC, and since 1995 an a professor of sociology. Janet Billson was a director of Group Dimensions Research, Bloomery, WV.
Mrs. Billson found that cultures in which women are valued are far less likely to embrace feminist ideology than are women in cultures that place less importance on women’s roles. She found, too, that women without financial freedom often submit to their culture’s traditions because they see no other choice.
(In Pathways to Manhood, published in cloth as Strategic S...)
(Brings new and seldom heard voices to the feminist debate...)
(Keepers of the Culture: The Power of Tradition in Women's...)
(Inuit Women is the definitive study of the Inuit during a...)
(Strategic styles :coping in the inner city [JANET MANCINI])
Quotations:
Janet Mancini Billson told CA: "I write because I am committed to conducting research with people whose voices are seldom heard—immigrant, Native, and minority women and men. As a sociologist, I Find myself driven to understand the impacts of rapid social change on identity (both individual and community). I am especially intrigued by the interlocking identities created by the intersection of race, class, and gender. Writing becomes a natural extension of the research process and a key way to share my insights."
Commenting on what influences her work, Billson also told CA: "The most critical influences have been the spectacular feminist research literature that has emerged in the social sciences since the early 1970s. This perspective forces me to look behind everyday power relations between men and women and to question the ‘taken for granted’ arrangements between oppressed and oppressors. My Canadian heritage, which includes English, Scottish, and French streams of tradition, has led me to write extensively about women in Canada, and to think cross-culturally."
"My favorite approach involves conducting intensive focus group interviews with women in distinct communities (for example, the Mennonites of Ontario or the Inuit of Baffin Island) and to write as closely to their words as possible. Interviewees (whom I consider ‘consultants’ rather than ‘respondents’) have a chance to react to interpretations and hypotheses as they emerge ‘in the field,’ and always have the opportunity to respond to drafts. Careful reviews of the scholarly literature always precede and find their way into my work, even though my writing style bridges academic and trade audiences. Generally, I write between two and twelve hours a day, depending on the stage of the manuscript and time pressures. I write virtually every day, all year long, because I enjoy the absorption of the writing process."
"The people I meet on my journeys inspire me, as do my colleagues, family, and friends. I like ideas that sit on the edge of two or more disciplines. For example, identity and marginality, two themes that dominate my work, derive their intellectual force from both sociology and psychology. I find myself challenged by trying to figure out why and how People become powerful or powerless, and how they cope with the changing world around them. The more immediate inspiration for my writing comes from walking in the woods around my home in the Shenandoah Mountains of West Virginia, or watching the light play on the hills and the wind move through the trees. The birds at the feeder outside my study window provide regular companionship and relief from the hard work of writing."
Janet Billson married Francis S. Mancini on June, 1968 (divorced in 1978). She married Norman T. London (an academic consultant) on August 21, 1990. She has two children: Mark F. Mancini, Kyra M. Mancini.