The politics of concepts : family and its (putative) replacements Journal
Material type: TextPublication details: British Journal of Sociology 2012Description: Journal articleISSN: 1468-4446Subject(s): Great Britain | Family | Change | Concepts | SociologyDDC classification: Journals Online access: Open e-book (Ruskin students only) Summary: The central concern of this paper is that there has been a move within British sociology to subsume (or sometimes, even replace) the concept of ‘family’ within ideas about personal life, intimacy and kinship. It calls attention to what will be lost sight of by this conceptual move: an understanding of the collective whole beyond the aggregation of individuals; the creation of lacunae that will be (partially) filled by other disciplines; and engagement with policy developments and professional practices that focus on ‘family’ as a core, institutionalized, idea. While repudiating the necessity (and indeed, pointing out the dangers) of providing any definitive answer to definitions of ‘family’, the paper calls for critical reflection on the implications of these conceptual moves.Item type | Current library | Home library | Class number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item reservations | |
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Article | Electronic publication | Electronic publication | Available |
<p>British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 63 no. 4 (Dec 2012), p. 730-746</p> <p>Available in the library. See journal shelves.</p> <p>Available online.</p>
The central concern of this paper is that there has been a move within British sociology to subsume (or sometimes, even replace) the concept of ‘family’ within ideas about personal life, intimacy and kinship. It calls attention to what will be lost sight of by this conceptual move: an understanding of the collective whole beyond the aggregation of individuals; the creation of lacunae that will be (partially) filled by other disciplines; and engagement with policy developments and professional practices that focus on ‘family’ as a core, institutionalized, idea. While repudiating the necessity (and indeed, pointing out the dangers) of providing any definitive answer to definitions of ‘family’, the paper calls for critical reflection on the implications of these conceptual moves.
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