5 years ago, I had a hunch I wanted to do a project involving my great-grandmother’s writing.
I didn’t realize I could just request her 1937 PhD dissertation as an interlibrary loan from the university, and have it waiting on the hold shelf at the local public library. It’s on The Changing Family In India, and I couldn’t have asked for a better companion in my research.
I picked it up today, finally. How long awaited, to have this physical copy in my hands.
This is part of my research for my performance poetry project Child in the Mist. I will be working with her 1933 parenting handbook to produce new poetry with sound art, thanks to funding from the Ontario Arts Council.
Reading her research and voice as a sociologist regarding the changing family in India will provide much-needed context. She had raised her own children primarily in India, and taught at Indore Christian College (and was later principal).
It’s a treasure trove for me at this stage of my research.
I’m incredibly grateful to have access to this as part of my process.
