Empowerment and Conformity: An Ethnography of a Bridge-to-Work Program for Immigrant Women

by Leah Soveran

Abstract

This thesis examines a government-funded bridge-to-work program in Calgary, Alberta. Delivered by a nonprofit immigrant-serving agency, the program is designed to help immigrant women who have a background in accounting prepare for entry-level accounting jobs and start rebuilding their careers in Canada. Drawing on institutional ethnography and governmentality theory, the research uses participant observation and interviews to explore how the work of program staff and participants is shaped by relations of ruling and techniques of governance. The focus is on the self-formation work that participants are invited to undertake in order to adapt themselves to Canadian work place expectations.