Sociology of Family
Abstracts,
Bibliography, Syllabus, Journals, Books on Sociology of Family
Family, Marriage, Children and Parenting, and other forms of
close relationships. The social, cultural, political and economic impacts of changing
families. Contemporary society is changing rapidly and we are seeing some relatively new
forms emerge.
The "ideal image" of two biological parents and
children living in harmony, is not realistic anymore. The family has many
forms, like the two-parent family, single-parent family, blended family, same-sex family
and adoptive family.
| As an insitution family socializes individuals to
be productive members of society. Family has within its boundaries a set of norms, values, statuses, and roles which are
organized or designed to guide or meet specific goals for the overall society. |
As a social system, the family is
viewed as an entity which consists of various interrelated parts or statuses that perform
particular functions or roles. Further, the family as a system is part of a larger system
or society and contributes to its functioning. |
As a social group,
the focus is on each individual members of the family in question. What each person
brings to the family and how each person contributes to the relationships with other
individuals in the family determines the reality within each family. |
Everyone looks to his family for guidance, support, and a
sense of belonging. Family is the most important social institution as it is our first
encounter with socialization processes.
Whether we examine the family as an institution, system, or group, the interest of
sociologists who study the family begins with a fascination of the family entity and the
relationships within its boundaries. One of the big issues or challenges within family
studies lies in its definition.
There are growing numbers of so-called "variant
family forms" in society. The family has many forms, like the two-parent family,
single-parent family, blended family, same-sex family and adoptive family.
Marriage & Family Processes - Part of
Trinity University's A Sociological Tour Through Cyberspace, this resource is organized
into: the Spectrum of Families Relations across Cultures and Time; Cultural Factors
Shaping Family Striker & Processes; Stages of Coupling; Relations between Husbands
& Wives Through Time; Parenting; Singlehood and Alternative Family Forms; Other Family
Players, Beyond the Nuclear Cast; Marital Disunions; Institutions Affecting and Affected
by Family Systems; and general resources. - trinity.edu/~mkearl/family.html
Sociology of Children
and Youth Section - The purpose of the Section on Children and Youth is to encourage the
development and dissemination of sociological perspectives on children in the areas
of research, theory, policy, practice, and teaching. Here, the term "children"
includes every human being from infancy to the legal majority.
asanet.org/sections/children.html
Books On Family Sociology
Sociology
of Families
by David M. Newman, Elizabeth Grauerholz
Organized around current issues and changes in the family; its reader
friendly, it makes connections between a sociological study of the family
"Never before have I seen a text that offers such a unique and well-rounded view of
the complexities of the family." - KRISTIN BATES, California State University, San
Marcos
Sociology of Families, Second Edition, begins at the level of the individual by examining
familiar contemporary issues¾ topics students are likely to know or feel strongly about.
Advancing
Family Theories
by James M. White
A companion text for graduate courses on family theories. Where we have gone astray in
family theory and how we can find our way again.
How can the study of families be scientific? What is the difference between postmodern and
positivistic approaches? What is the role of models and metaphors in constructing our
theoretical knowledge? In Advancing Family Theories, author James M. White addresses such
difficult questions that have been longstanding issues within the field of family studies
and examines these matters from a social science perspective.
Advancing Family Theories explores two contemporary theories of the family-rational choice
theory and transition theory. These diametrically different approaches illuminate what
differing theories reveal about families. The book also discusses how meta-theories can
assist in building and refining theory and offers insight on the "understanding
versus explanation" debate. Advancing Family Theories gives students a precise notion
of what a theory is and how theories work in research. The book not only looks at
philosophical realms but also examines particular substantive theory to explain and
predict family behaviors.
New
Poverty : Families in Postmodern Society (Contributions in Sociology Vol 115) - David
Cheal - Analyzes the relationships between current family situations and the risks of
being poor, locating specific causes of poverty within a broader context of problems in
modernity and arguing that the sociology of poverty has entered a new, postmodern phase.
The
Sociology of the Family: A Reader by Graham A. Allan (Editor), Graham Allan (Editor)
This volume provides students with the essential readings for understanding the dominant
issues in the sociology of the family.
Family
Man: Fatherhood, Housework and Gender Equity
by Scott Coltrane
A lot of attention has been focused recently on the role of the father in the family.
Coltrane, coauthor of Sociology of Marriage and the Family (1991) and assistant sociology
professor at University of California at Riverside, takes an in-depth, serious look at the
role of the male in the family. He documents the historical division of labor between
husband and wife before investigating shared parenting practices that have become more
commonplace in those families where two parents have jobs. Because research has previously
involved mostly white, middle-class families, Coltrane also considers Mexican American
households. He concludes with a look at social trends and attempts to predict their effect
on the future of the family.
Readers will find an insightful discussion of precisely how and why family life has
changed, what forms it may take in the future, and what new kinds of fathers may be on the
horizon. He provides, for instance, an illuminating history of the family that shows that,
far from being a fixed structure, the family has always adapted to changing economic,
social, and ideological pressures. And by examining how families operate in a variety of
non-industrial societies, he demonstrates that our own notions of gender-specific work and
parenting roles are culturally rather than biologically determined, and thus inherently
flexible.
Family
Theories: An Introduction
by James M. White, David M. Klein
This solid revision of the best-selling Family Theories remains the only single-volume
textbook to present family theory in a clear, approachable manner appropriate for both
advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. James White and David Klein draw
upon seven major theoretical frameworks developed by key social scientists to explain
variation in family life, including the exchange, symbolic-interaction, family life course
development, systems, conflict, feminist, and ecological theoretical frameworks.
An incisive, thorough introduction to current theories of the family, Family Theories
balances the diversity and richness of a broad scope of work from different perspectives
with ease of use in a one-semester course. Recommended for courses in Theories of the
Family, Marriage & the Family, Family Studies, and Sociology of the Family.
Handbook
of Family Diversity
by David H. Demo (Editor), Katherine R. Allen (Editor), Mark A. Fine (Editor)
The status of the American family has been the topic of considerable debate in recent
years. As demographic changes make our country more multicultural, and as new types of
family forms become more common, it is essential for sociologists, social workers, and
psychologists to understand the full range of diversity in American families.
The Handbook of Family Diversity fills this gap in scholarship by providing a
comprehensive discussion of several key dimensions where families differ: race,
socioeconomic status, family structure, and sexual orientation and gender.
Sociology
of Families : Readings
by Cheryl Albers (Editor)
"Cheryl Albers reader for use in family sociology courses is a cutting edge
collection of articles about cutting edge topics. She addresses nine topics central and
critical to family sociology and provided thoughtful articles from diverse perspectives
for each, from adolescent childbearing to the construction of family policy. It could
enrich any instructor's approach to the burning questions in the field of family
sociology." Dana Vannoy, University of Cincinnati
Early
Sociology of the Family (Making of Sociology)
by Bryan S. Turner (Editor)
These titles, which helped to shape this developing field during the nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, include: John F. McLennan's Primitive Marriage [1865]; W. H. R.
Rivers' Kinship and Social Organisation [1914]; C. N. Starke's The Primitive Family
[1889]; E. R. Groves' and W. F. Ogburn's American Marriage and Family Relations [1928].
Sociology
of the Family: Investigating Family Issues
by Lee D. Millar Bidwell, Brenda J. Vander Mey
Sociology of the Family includes in every chapter an article relevant to the topic at
hand. These articles include excerpts from well-known books and journal articles. This
book is unlike others in which theory and research methods are briefly mentioned in an
opening chapter (never to be discussed again). In Sociology of the Family, the authors not
only cover theory and methods in separate chapters, but theoretical perspectives are
continually applied and methodological issues are consistently discussed in consequent
chapters throughout the book. With a strong emphasis on cross-cultural family dynamics,
family patterns and trends and controversies in the U.S. by comparing them with other
national or global trends. For anyone interested in Sociology of Family, Marriage and
Family, or Comparative Family Systems.
Haven
in a Heartless World: The Family Besieged
by Christopher Lasch
Compelling social commentary, and brilliantly written, perhaps not surprising since Lasch
was not a social scientist, but rather a professor of English Literature, at Columbia if I
recall right, but in any case, at one of the Ivy League colleges. Lasch became interested
in social trends, and ended up writing this fine book on the decline and destruction of
the family in American life.
Family
and Community Life of Older People by Chris Phillipson, Miriam Bernard, Judith
Phillips, Jim Ogg
Family and Community Life of Older People reflects the interest in how older people are
affected by social change. The book focuses on three areas: Bethnal Green in London;
Wolverhampton in the Midlands; and Woodford in Essex. Using these examples, Phillipson
explores changes to the family and community lives of older people.
Kinship
and social organisation (The early sociology of the family)
by W. H. R Rivers
Sociology of Family, Marriage and Family and Comparative Family Systems.
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E-Books
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