Abstract

The dissertation explores how rural youth in Labrador make culture in their daily lives. I use photovoice to work with youth in four Labrador communities, and draw largely on critical scholarship on rurality, identity, race and cultural production, to focus on issues of race, identity, and sexuality. The role of space and place in the lives of rural youth is also critically examined. This dissertation uses participatory methods to explore ideas of place and cultural production. I strongly critique the notion of culture as a city phenomenon, and elaborate on the ways in which youth employ local knowledge to make sense of their lives and to build a unique cultural space in their communities. I argue that rural youth, despite their invisibility as a political constituency and their lack of representation in popular culture, are indeed active producers of local culture. In exploring youths' understanding of racial identities from their perspective, issues of invisible whiteness, hybridity and Métis identity are examined. In an effort to illuminate the strengths of youth and the challenges they face in their lives, the dissertation also employs a Foucauldian analysis of discipline to frame the context in which youth negotiate issues of safe sex and sexuality in a place where no one is a stranger. I demonstrate how the lack of anonymity in these communities contributes to the disciplining of youth sexualities, and offer policy suggestions to improve access to appropriate services to youth in small places. Most importantly, in this dissertation I gained understanding of the dynamism and determination that are characteristic of the lives of the young Labrador people who informed this work