Author Description

This Interdisciplinary Volume On Family Studies, Focussing On The Indian Context, Makes A Case For Why 'family' As An Ideological Construct And 'families' As A Multitude Of Lived Relationships Should Continue To Be Subjects Of Critical Social Scientific Attention. The Essays In The Volume Collectively Demonstrate That In Political, Social And Economic Contexts Such As Found In India, Family As Well As Families Are Neither Simply A Remnant Of Tradition Nor A Domain Representing Insulated 'private' Lives. Rather, They Consist Of Malleable Yet Overpowering Structures, Relationships And Practices. Thus, While The 'family' Is A Crucial Site Of Ideological And Imaginative Investments Which Play A Vital Role In Reproducing And Defining Contemporary Selves And Societies, 'families' Are Responsive To And Constrained By The Complex Political And Economic Dynamics In Which They Are Embedded And Enmeshed. Family Relationships Thus Continue To Occupy A Central Place In The Imperative Of Survival And Security, Even As Policy And Legislative Imperatives As Well As Reproductive And Communication Technologies Play A Crucial Role In Reshaping Them. While Reiterating The Importance Of Building Upon The Impetus Provided By Gender And Sexuality Studies For A Continued Interest In Family/families, The Volume Argues That Family Studies Should Embrace But Not Be Subsumed By The Questions That Have Been Signposted By Such Scholarship. Critically Interrogating The Extant Approaches To And Concepts In The Study Of Family, Therefore The Volume Brings Together A Set Of Previously Unpublished Essays, Authored By Scholars From A Range Of Background And Varied Orientations To Focus Upon Issues Which Are Central To Making Sense Of Family/families And The Multiple Contexts In Which They Are Implicated In Indian Society-- Provided By Publisher.