Publisher's Synopsis
This major two–volume work examines the history of the family from prehistory to the present day. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the changing forms of kinship and family life. The time–span and geographical distance covered is impressive: from Egypt and the Pharaohs to contemporary Europe, from ancient China to post–colonial Africa.
Volume One examines ancient and medieval societies both inside and outside Europe, focusing on the genesis and gradual transformation of the family through history. It analyzes the ancient world, the Middle Ages and the Far East respectively.
The second volume examines the repercussions of various aspects of the modern age – religious, political, economic and social – upon the institution of the family, and compares the model of the western family with that of other cultures. It includes studies on the family in early modern Europe, colonial societies in the Andes and Meso–America, modern China, Japan, Africa and Arabia. The final section examines the position of the family in western industrialized societies, from the Industrial Revolution to the present, including studies on modern America, Scandinavia and France.
Focusing on contemporary developments in the family, contributors examine, among other issues, the rise in the divorce rate, the decline in marriages, the increase in the number of one–parent families and single people in urban environments, the emergence of surrogate mothers and diverse techniques of artificial insemination; and it questions the survival of the family as a modern–day institution.
