Principal Investigator: Wendy Thomson
Co-Investigators: V. Sinha, O. Aitken, N. Ives
Funding Source: Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada
Period: 2008–2011
The research studies are overseen by a Steering Group with a majority of members who are Inuit from Nunavik and is funded by the SSHRC Strategic Northern Development program. The people of Nunavik are preparing to assume self government in 2011. On the eve of another milestone in ongoing social transformation of the region’s Inuit communities, researchers have conducted 35 semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with leaders and residents of Kuujjuaq, Puvirnituq and Inukjuak. Drawing on these data, we explore the meaning of family in Nunavik today, from the perspective of both administrators and beneficiaries of important social services. Our analysis examines the family’s role in addressing major social themes identified by interviewees and the notion of Inuit families as an under-utilized resource for communal improvement. Policy recommendations for the future Nunavik government, including those for strengthening Inuit families, will be shaped by the findings of this study.