Giving Voices to Jamaican Canadian Immigrant Women: A Heuristic Inquiry Study

The Heuristic Inquiry (HI) qualitative method applied in this study explored the role of Pentecostal faith in the post-migration lived experiences of Jamaican Canadian immigrant women (JCIW). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven JCIW whose Pentecostal faith helped them to reconstruct their cultural identity post-migration. The creative flexibility of HI allowed for the integration of the primary researcher’s (i.e., first author's) voice into the study alongside those of the co-researchers. Positioning the study within a postmodern social constructionism theoretical framework created space for multiple realities to emerge that were constructed through social interaction and language. These realities were evident in the unique ways in which the JCIW used faith to reconstruct their cultural identity during the migration process. Results revealed four key categories and 10 salient themes which were used to inform theory, research, and practice for counseling professionals. Recommendations for future research in using HI and the topic of cultural identity are discussed.