Why are There So Many Newfoundland Flags
in Alberta?
Newfoundland Identity and Supportive Social Networks
9:00 a.m., Friday, Sept. 4, 2009
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall
Admission: free

The past 30 years have seen thousands of Newfoundlanders migrate to Alberta to work in the oil industry. This continuing pattern of migration provides an opportunity to explore both the nature of the Newfoundland identity and the reasons for why it is given such emphasis among Newfoundlanders living in Alberta. It is suggested that the frequent displays of Newfoundland identity through such mediums as T-shirts, hats, tattoos, flags, bumper stickers and music are instrumental in the creation of mutually beneficial social networks. These social networks have great practical significance in overcoming the many difficulties associated with transportation, housing, employment and personal safety encountered during the migration. It is suggested that the signaling of Newfoundland identity is particularly efficient at creating such supportive social networks because the isolation and harsh climate of many Newfoundland communities has led to Newfoundland culture placing great emphasis on providing aid to one’s neighbor.

Craig T. Palmer is an associate professor of cultural anthropology and director of graduate studies in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He earned his Ph.D. in anthropology from Arizona State University in 1988. His research focuses on kinship, religion, ritual, cooperation, migration, sports and the ecological adaptations of fishing communities to their environment. His experience working in the commercial lobster fishery of Maine for five years during the 1980s led to his anthropological fieldwork in fishing communities on the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada. This research started in 1990 and initially focused on the social consequences of the collapse of the cod stocks that had been the primary economic resource in the area for centuries. More recently his research has followed the residents of Newfoundland as the collapse of the fishery has caused them to have to migrate to western Canada in order to find jobs in the oil industry of northern Alberta. His current research focuses on how these individuals maintain many of their Newfoundland traditions and use these to create networks of social relationships with other Newfoundlanders to help meet the many challenges faced in the new environment of western Canada.