"Becoming a 'Villa Girl': Youth Culture and the Student Experience at a Single Sex Private School in Montreal, 1916-1980"

摘要: Historians have often characterized Catholic private schools for girls exclusively as privileged, homogenous, and strictly regulated institutions that provide little insight into the lived experiences of female adolescents. The following study aims to challenge this perception by providing a microhistorical analysis youth culture thrived at Villa Maria, an all-girls school in Montreal, from 1916 1980. While is acknowledged socializing force influenced students’ development, examination demonstrates teenage actively produced meaningful adolescent within institutional settings. Far assuming positions passivity, students Maria played important role shaping transforming their school. More specifically, illustrates ways which borrowed normative messages superiors, popular culture, even broader social changes occurring Quebec society produce reflected age-based needs desires challenged values. By foregrounding girls’ daily rituals activities foundational basis also tests conventional notions historical agency, largely excluded young women actors. Through its investigation student experience during twentieth century, questions established understandings calls reconsideration educational spaces observing agency.