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Family in the Caribbean: Themes and Perspectives

Family in the Caribbean: Themes and Perspectives

$22.95

The book is constructed around six themes prominent in Caribbean family studies, namely definitions of the family, plural and creole society, social structure, gender roles and relationships, methodology, history and social change.

By: Christine Barrow

Book fusion

SKU: 225 Category:

Description

Family in the Caribbean provides a comprehensive review of the extensive literature on family, household and conjugal unions in the Caribbean. The book is constructed around six themes prominent in Caribbean family studies, namely definitions of the family, plural and creole society, social structure, gender roles and relationships, methodology, history and social change.

Part I critically assesses theoretical trends and interpretations from the perspectives of African heritage, colonial social welfare, structural functionalism, adaptive responses to poverty and kinship ideology and practice. Concepts such as matrifocality, male marginality, female headed household and kinship network are examined. 

Part II reviews substantive topics of slave family structure, East Indian family patterns, childhood socialisation and social policy. 

An added feature is the inclusion of selected readings from works by the main contributors to Caribbean family theory which provide a handy reference for readers. These readings are conveniently placed at the end of each section. 

The author’s objective is to pave the way for future investigations which study Caribbean families in their own right, and in the process help to bury the ethnocentric images of deviant and disorganised families. 

Additional information

Weight 2 lbs
Dimensions 9 × 6 in
ISBN

978-976-8100-75-7
Binding

Paperback
Page Count

492
Publication date

1996

About the Author

Christine Barrow is Professor of Social Development, and has worked with the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus since 1970. Prof. Barrow was attached to the Department of Government, Sociology and Social Work, which she headed from 1990 to 1993 and 1996 to 1999. She also was Coordinator for the Women and Development Studies Group from 1987 to 1988. She was appointed Deputy Principal in August 2002. 

Prof. Barrow’s research interests include Caribbean kinship, Gender, Children, and Social Development and she has published extensively in these areas. She has also acted as a Consultant for United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Department for International Development (DFID), Caribbean Support Initiative (CSI) and other local and International Agencies; and was President of the Barbados Family Planning Association from 2001 to 2003.

Contents

INTRODUCTION :DEFINITION AND THEMES   

The Caribbean

Themes

Organisation

 

PART ONE: Theories

  1. Origins and Functions

Origins

Functions

Social Pathology

Structural Functionalism

Matrifocality

Summary: Structure and Values

Readings

 

II    Labels and Typologies   

Conjugal Unions

Conjugal Union and Fertility

Household Composition

Conclusion

 

III    Personal Choice and Adaptive Response   

Personal Choice

Adaptive Response

Conjugal Unions and Parental Roles

Marriage and Extra-Legal Unions

Child-Shifting

Kinship Networks

Matrifocality

Female Headed Households

Conclusion

Readings

  1. Ideology and Culture

Methodology

Conjugal Relationships

Matrifocality Revisited

Male Marginality Revisited

Illegitimacy

The Importance of History

Conclusion

Readings

 

PART TWO: Perspectives

 

  1. Slave Families

Slave Family: Chaos or Reconstruction?

Conjugal Unions: Monogamy, Polygamy or Promiscuity?

Slave Family: Nuclear, Extended or Mother-Child Units

Understanding Slave Families

The Slave Plantation System and Planter Dominance

SlaveMarriage on the Codrington Estate, Barbados

The African Heritage

Demographic Structure

Economic Circumstances and Options

Conclusion

Readings

 

  1. East Indian Families

Indians Kinship Patterns

Conditions of Indenture

Reconstruction of Marriage and the Family

Cultural History or Contemporary Economics?

Readings

 

VII. Child Socialisation, Relocation and Abandonment

Childhood and Puberty

Discipline and Punishment

Roles and Relationships of Socialisation

Relocation and Abandonment

Conclusion

Readings

 

VIII. Social Policy: State, Law and Church

General Principles and Objectives of Family Policy

Family and the Law

Family and the Church

Conclusion

Readings

 

  1. CONCLUSION: THEMES AND PERSPECTIVES

 

  1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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