Family Configurations: A Structural Approach to Family Diversity

The book develops current scholarship on families and intimate lives, demonstrating that family relationships, fare from being fluid and unconsequential, are more structured and committed than ever. Applying social network methods to uncover the relational patterns of contemporary families, this book argues for the development of a configurational perspective in terms of which the complexities that characterise family commitments in late mdernity can be better understood. Based on a series of empirical studies carried out in the US and Europe, Family Configurations reveals the diversity of family relationships that emerge as a result of various key family issues, emphasizing the interdependencies existing among large sets of family members. As such, it addresses conflict within families, divorce and family recomposition, the impact on families of psychological problems, as well as questions of social capital, and changes in family relationships through the life course. Making use of rich empirical data, this book draws on recent developments in family sociology,social network analysis and kinship studies to present a fascinating interdisciplinary approach to the family.