Transnational grannies: The changing family responsibilities of elderly African Caribbean-born women resident in Britain

This paper explores the role and position of grandmothers in African-Caribb ean families resident in Britain. The data used for this paper comes fromm a sample of 180 life-history interviews collected in 1995-1996 from three g enerations of Caribbean-origin people living in Britain and the Caribbean. Findings from this research suggest that African-Caribbean grandmothers res ident in Britain have come to play a less active role within their immediat e family compared to earlier historical periods. At the same time however, these grandmothers have come to take on a more a transnational emissary rol e for their family and kin located throughout North America and Europe. Car ibbean-born grandmothers appear to be using more "modern" means for fulfill ing certain traditional tasks like "child shifting", "story telling" or act ing as a "social safety net". Using their agency African Caribbean-born gra ndmothers have been able to carve out new niches for themselves despite cha nges in family structure brought about by migration and settlement patterns in Britain.