Social inclusion/exclusion as matters of social (in)justice: a call for nursing action.

Social inclusion/exclusion involves just/unjust social relations and social structures enabling or constraining opportunities for participation and health. In this paper, social inclusion/exclusion is explored as a dialectic. Three discourses--discourses on recognition, capabilities, and equality and citizenship--are identified within Canadian literature. Each discourse highlights a different view of the injustices leading to social exclusion and the conditions supporting inclusion and social justice. An Integrated Framework for Social Justice that incorporates the three discourses is developed and used to critique the dominant focus on distributive justice within foundational Canadian nursing documents. We propose a broader conceptualization of social (in)justice that includes both relational and structural dimensions. Opportunities for multilevel interventions to promote social justice are identified. This framework is congruent with nursing's moral imperative to promote health equity and with the multiple roles played by nurses to promote social justice in everyday practice.

Mothering in the wake of childhood violence experiences: reweaving a self and a world at the intersection of history and context.

We examined the stories of 12 women mothering growing children at the intersection of personal history (childhood violence experiences) and symbolic, structural, and ideological forces and conditions. Women revealed their determination to reweave a self and a world, that is, to continually reconstruct and reconfigure their lives to change the story for themselves and their children. Women's ability to reweave, however, was facilitated or challenged through intersections with family, networks, single stories, and prescribed rules and routines. We propose that reweaving work is a significant phenomenon to consider as deeper understandings of the dynamic experience of adult resilience are sought.

Health experiences of Korean immigrant women in retirement.

In this focused ethnographic study, we explored the health experiences of 15 Korean immigrant women after retirement in an urban center in Western Canada. Almost all women began their lives in Canada without adequate personal finances, making their employment essential for supporting their families financially. Most women lived with more than two chronic diseases, attributed to long hours and difficult work conditions. They experienced improved psychological health after retiring, irrespective of positive or negative changes in their physical health. Spiritual faith and exercise were important strategies to maintain and enhance their health and to postpone and manage chronic diseases.

The experience of Korean immigrant women adjusting to Canadian society.

The acculturation process is an important factor in the experience of all immigrants. Although previous studies have indicated the challenges faced by Korean immigrants, little attention has been paid to Korean women's immigration experiences. A focused ethnography was used to examine midlife and older Korean immigrant women's experiences following their immigration to Canada. Fifteen women were interviewed in a city in Western Canada. The findings showed that in coming to Canada, women focused on caring for their children and often sacrificed their personal dreams. They had to be employed to support their families, and received support from family and government. Women participated regularly in a Korean Church and drew on their Christian faith to ease their adjustment. They retained hopes for the future including good health and a better life for their children. Most women indicated that it was difficult to integrate into Canadian society but they never gave up on their adjustment to a new culture. In this manuscript, the adjustment experience of the immigrant women is discussed in the context of an acculturation framework. The findings will enhance health professionals' awareness of adjustment patterns and associated challenges to Korean immigrant women's quality of life.

Critical feminist narrative inquiry: advancing knowledge through double-hermeneutic narrative analysis.

Critical feminist narrative inquiry is informed by the theoretical triangulation of critical, feminist, and symbolic interactionist perspectives. We first locate this approach within narrative research and identify the epistemological underpinnings and assumptions supporting this innovative methodology. The analytic and interpretive objectives and processes involved to achieve a double-hermeneutic narrative analysis are detailed. We conclude by proposing that this novel approach is suitable to advance knowledge about the nature and context of individual experiences, to expose circumstances leading to social injustice and health inequities, and ultimately to contribute to improved health outcomes for traditionally silenced, marginalized, or vulnerable populations.

The search for safety, control, and voice for mothers living with the legacy of childhood violence experiences: a critical feminist narrative inquiry.

We explored the experiences of 12 women who mothered their children while they encountered challenges stemming from the legacy of childhood violence experiences. We examined the participants' narratives through critical, feminist, and symbolic interaction lenses to locate the forces and conditions facilitating and constraining women's mothering choices and decisions. Women's stories revealed their agency in the face of enduring distrust experiences. Women were determined to "change the story." They met pervasive self-doubt with a "search for anchors" and "constant comparisons." Persistent distrust of others meant women relied on "hypervigilance" and "gatekeeping." Implications for knowledge development, research, and practice are discussed.