Families

In this accessible and engagingly written book, Vanessa May invites readers into the rich world of thought, research, and study of the highly diverse phenomenon of families and family life. The book explores what is and has been understood by family in different sociocultural contexts and how family life intersects with social spheres such as the state, the labour market, and the economy.

Alongside broad social developments such as (post)colonialism and austerity, and their connections with changing family patterns, the book engages interdisciplinary work on time, embodiment, and materiality to offer a multidimensional perspective on the day-to-day lives of families. Drawing from research in the Global North and the Global South, the text carefully considers how people approach the study of families and thus provides insight into the shape of mainstream family studies today.

Families offers a timely intervention into current debates within family studies and suggests avenues of investigation that deserve further attention. It will be an invaluable resource to students and scholars alike.