Synopses & Reviews
Within the field of family science, the very concept of family, which originally unified the discipline, has been replaced by the understanding that there are multiple forms of families and that families differ over time and with social and economic status. This recognition has led to a redefinition of the field: the structural diversity of American families is now accepted as a norm, and typologies of ethnically/racially diverse families abound.
Nevertheless, there exist few systematic analyses of the specific implications of cultural diversity for the discipline itself, raising questions about the research and knowledge we have about families, how to best train students to understand issues facing families, and how to provide the kinds of services that are needed by culturally diverse families. Cultural Diversity and Families: Expanding Perspectives investigates how concepts of cultural diversity have shaped family science from theoretical and applied perspectives.
Key Features:
- Investigates the impact of cultural diversity on the field of family science in order to transcend simplistic categorizations that have juxtaposed white families in opposition to families of color and vice versa
- Consciously emphasizes the full range of cultural aspects (not just ethnicity, but also socioeconomic status, gender, religion, etc.) so as not to reinforce the myth that race is a biological truth by solely emphasizing racial impacts on family life
- Includes contributions by leading experts in the field including Katherine Allen, Alexis Walker, Annette Lareau, and Shelley McDermid
Synopsis
Cultural Diversity and Families: Expanding Perspectives breaks new ground by investigating how concepts of cultural diversity have shaped the study of families from theoretical and applied perspectives. Authors Bahira Sherif Trask and Raeann R. Hamon move the dialogue about culturally diverse families to a new level by topically discussing the issues affecting culturally diverse families rather than organizing the information by racial and or ethnic groups.