The social construction of subcultures: a culturalist perspective of three generations of youth in an Acadian community of Nova Scotia

This research on Acadian youth is designed to focus on the process of cultural formation among male and female youth in a rural Acadian community of Nova Scotia. Within a culturalist perspective, the object of the study is to gain insights into how Acadian youth make sense of their everyday lives. Discussions with grade 12 students, their parents and grand-parents focus on relationships in the home, the school and at leisure. These relationships are explored and reveal ways by which Acadian youth actively influence and respond to their social reality. This thesis argues that Acadian youth are presenting a challenge to traditional and hegemonic meanings of their Acadianness.