The first section of this Chapter discusses definitions of the family. The definition should be
universally applicable across all cultures, account for the variety of types of families, and for�…

The newly developing field of family history has contributed significantly to the revision of
prevailing theories about the development of the family in Western society. The fact that pre�…

In the developing field of family history the major question has been whether indus-
trialisation in Europe and in North America did, or did not, transform family relations�…

In recent years, the family has emerged as a major subject of historica inquiry.'Numerous
books and articles have appeared describing, among other things, the composition, kinship�…

This essay examines the recent historical research on the family with the objective of
identifying useful lessons for students of the contemporary family. The following themes in�…

The social sciences include many concepts that are basic to the understanding of the
subject matter. Some of these concepts are defined differently and measured differently by�…

Representing new approaches to the study of the family and historical demography, this
collection of essays analyzes the relationships of demographic processes in different�…

Family structures and family law have been moving in the same direction all over the world
over the past two centuries. Although general agreement exists that these changes have�…

Whence and whither family history? In his bibliographic and programmatic essay,
Hobsbawm (1971) did not mention family history as a subfield of what was then the relatively�…

In this Chapter the authors will examine family dynamics and change from a cross-cultural
psychological perspective. The main focus will be on family change within changing global�…