Readers' Questions -Ellen's Responses

Reader’s question
Anonymous said...
Will you please explain Keepers, Seekers and Teachers? I feel I am missing something important, capitalized, that others understand.
1/16/2007 2:12 AM
Ellen’s answer

Keepers, Seekers and Teachers
As I listened closely and recorded women’s stories, hoping not to freeze in fear the next time I was dealt an overwhelming blow by fate, I discovered that in order to learn from their stories, I discovered that the element of time—past, present, and future—was important to my understanding of where they found the resources that they relied upon when most distressed. I remembered being impressed by Margaret Mead’s book, Culture and Commitment,[1] in college. She described different cultural groups according to their reliance on past knowledge of elders, the experience of peer groups in the present, or the vision of youth looking toward the future. The women I interviewed also seemed to fit these categories. Influenced by Mead, I named the women that I interviewed as Keepers, Seekers, and Teachers, depending where in time they sought resources when most distressed.
Keepers reach back into family history when they need to reset their course. Family traditions guide them as they provide a nurturing presence for three or more family generations. These women find their center in family life. Through their stories, and memories, they deepen and maintain family connections. When recounting hard times they retell family stories and report on present day family life, even including family members from whom they are estranged.
Seekers are women who live in a world of frequent change. They live away from their families-of-origin, feeling confined by family expectations. They focus on the present, and search across age groups and cultural communities to find alternatives that strengthen their sense of independence.
So far on the blog I have told the stories of two Keepers, Florence, and Janie. Next come the stories of two Seekers and then two Teachers. I am hoping that others send me their stories of Keepers, Seekers, and Teachers.
[1] Margaret Mead, Culture and Commitment. New York: Doubleday, 1970.

Joe from Japan asked:

Are there men who are Keepers, Seekers and Teachers?

Ellen's Response:

I am sure that there are. I have not yert collected their stories, but I am interested in any that you know.