Abstract:
How do residents of small towns that depend on oil and gas extraction or processing industries withstand economic boom
and bust cycles? To answer this question, this article reports on a narrative analysis of residents’ life stories gathered from
37 adults of a small town on the Canadian prairies dependent on the oil and gas industry, employing the theories of narrative
inquiry and narrative identity. Participants aged 30 to 76 were interviewed and their experiences of living in an unstable
economy that is dependent mostly on a single resource extraction industry were explored. Specifically, we asked participants
about the effect of economic change on factors related to resilience like family interactions, work choices, educational pathways,
and the quality of their social lives. Our analysis of adult narratives looked for patterns in the relationship between
risk exposure, promotive and protective factors at multiple systemic levels (individual, relational, cultural), and functional
outcomes such as individual coping, community cohesion, and social and economic sustainability. Results show that a strong
identity, in particular expressions of personal agency, communion, and engagement in meaning making are contributing
factors to adult resilience in a context of economic change. Our results also highlight how positive attitudes towards a better
future may inadvertently undermine the need for residents of oil and gas-dependent towns to commit to economic diversification
and other potential resilience-promoting strategies.
