Cultural Anthropology Report: Canada in the 1950s and 1960s Decades

This report provides a cultural anthropology analysis of Canada during the 1950s and 1960s, drawing insights from the Canadian television series 'Back in Time.' The report examines the societal shifts, including the rise of affluence, changes in family dynamics, evolving gender roles, and the impact of technological advancements. It explores how the episodes depict lifestyle changes, from fashion and food habits to the emergence of youth culture and suburban living. The analysis compares and contrasts the two decades, highlighting the evolving roles of family members and the increasing influence of youth. The report references the impact of post-war recovery on family values and the societal changes that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. It also highlights the transition from traditional gender roles to the beginnings of feminism and the influence of new trends, such as the rise of takeaways and charcoal barbecues in the 1960s. The conclusion summarizes the key differences between the two eras, emphasizing how the series portrays the evolution of Canadian society, culture, and mindset.

Running head: CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY 1
Canada in 1950s and 1960s

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Main theme: The arrival of the affluent 1950s- Episode 2..............................................................3
Manifestation of lifestyle in 1950s..................................................................................................4
Changes in 1950s and 1960s in the Episodes..................................................................................4
Canadian Society in 1950s and 1960s.............................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
‘Back in Time’ is a Canadian television series aired in May 2018 (CBC Life, 2018a).
This series was about a typical middle class Canadian family that takes an experiment to live in
different decades by going back in time and experiment the theme, lifestyle, values, and
technology of that decade. The series have been narrated in light of the background of that era in
question, and let the family share their feelings in contrast of their 21st century ideologies and
lifestyle. Canada in the 1950s decade has witnessed has experienced the attempt to plan and
shape the economy of the country after the year 1944 (CBC Life, 2018b). The country faced
wartime restrictions on everything and affected the population a lot. Although the country was
facing such issues it saw a transformation in their family values, gender roles, fashion sense,
food habits and kitchen roles, and era of baby boomers.
Main theme: The arrival of the affluent 1950s- Episode 2
The second episode of the Canadian series ‘Back in Time’, has focused upon highlighting
the affluent 1950s and how Canadians saw a dawn to live a normal life post-war. The main
theme of this era as shown in the episode was the focus on the family, how the role of genders
changes in this era. As shown in the second episode of the series, there was prosperity in the
lives of people with improved technological advancements, and lifestyle choices. While the lives
of characters seemed to be improved, the gender roles still prevailed with no to very little
changes in the lives of female members of the families. The role played by Tristan, the mother
was shown as the one struggling to bear the pressure for domestic perfection and managing the
kitchen. The episode shows that the houses were required to be tidy all the time and should be
presentable to welcome guests. The females are shown elegant and graceful. The 1950s was
shown as a massive child rearing trend and the family treated their children with utmost care to

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make them socially fit (CBC Life, 2018b). It is shown that technology entered into the family as
television became their part of life. The family seemed happy about the lesser effect of rationing
and they had freedom of food choices. The teenage characters in the show are shown to develop
their own world which consisted of their own style of living, music and dressing. The episode
also highlights the fact that the 1950s made the youth culture more powerful that had the ability
to shape the country.
Manifestation of lifestyle in 1950s
The 1950s saw a rise of Suburbia in Canada which contributed to foreign Investments
and large amount of production in the Canadian economy. The houses shown in the 1950s have
ample space to play and live a healthy life. As shown in the episode 2, the family is seen happy
about the changes since it kept the family together. The houses are expected to be clean and be
welcoming for guests. The lifestyle of the middle class family has been shown to socialize more
and start to earn. For instance, the Tupperware party was a means for housewives to socialize
more. Evidently, there were technological changes in the 1950s were more electrical appliances
and gadgets were available in the kitchen. The responsibility of the male members changed and
were expected to be more serious. The focus was given to the family, as children were given
more importance and freedom. The roles of the family members are shown clearly in the
episode. The male member of the family is the head, the mother or wife takes care of the family
and children are allowed to live a life with freedom.
Changes in 1950s and 1960s in the Episodes
The episode 2 of the series highlight important changes in the 1950s era. This era has
been highlighted as a change in the lives of the people and the advancements in terms of

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technology, freedom and roles of family members. In this episode it has been shown that apart
from any changes, the role of the mother or the female character seems to undergo no change
since she was seen managing the kitchen in 1950s. When compared to the 1960s, the episode 3
of the series this era would be more fun. But the condition of the mother still remains the same.
In 1960, Tristan, the mother was shown stepping out of the kitchen by the virtue of feminism.
The middle class family 1950s was shown going out for dinners where as a 1960s, the concept of
takeaways emerged (CBC Life, 2018c). Certainly there were changes in the role of family
members in the 1950s but in the 1960s the youth became more powerful as shown in the episode.
The advent changes gadgets in the kitchen area were prevalent in 1950s but new trends such as
charcoal barbecue emerged in 1960s.
Canadian Society in 1950s and 1960s
The Canadian society as in the 1950s is comparatively new to freedom and changes in the
society. This era a new beginning after the world war and its after effects were positive on
people. Whereas the 1960s tried to be more fun an open to more attitudes among people. Since
the focus of the family in 1950s was to have a nuclear family, it also focused on building a
character in children to make them a better person for the future. The roles of the family
members were quite defined where in the 1950s the female members did not enjoy much
freedom and were expected to be taking care of the family. Where as in the 1960s, feminism
played a small role in taking out the female members out of the kitchen and male members
experiencing their hand in kitchen. As opined by Caroll (2018), between 1950 and 1960, the
young people are seen to grow and make their own choices in life.
Conclusion

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The analysis on the eras 1950 and 1960 was presented by way of the Canadian television
series, ‘Back in Time’ which highlight the lifestyle of the people, their culture, their mindset and
how people perceived things around them. All these have been highlighted above my making a
comparison on the fact that both the eras were different and tried improving to make the lives of
people happy and prosperous.

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References
Caroll, M. (2018). How Canada Became a Player in the 1960s. Retrieved from:
https://www.cbc.ca/life/backintimefordinner/how-canada-became-a-player-in-the-1960s-
1.4682740
CBC Life. (2018a). Back In Time of Dinner. Retrieved from:
https://www.cbc.ca/life/backintimefordinner/episodes
CBC Life. (2018b). The arrival of the affluent 1950s: Your guide to Episode 2. Retrieved from:
https://www.cbc.ca/life/backintimefordinner/the-arrival-of-the-affluent-1950s-your-
guide-to-episode-2-1.4644907
CBC Life. (2018c). Swing into the rebellious 1960s: Your guide to Episode 3. Retrieved from:
https://www.cbc.ca/life/backintimefordinner/swing-into-the-rebellious-1960s-your-guide-
to-episode-3-1.4645033