About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about how the nature of the family and family life has changed over time, focusing in particular on: (i) the idea that the nuclear family is a historically and culturally specific form of family structure; (ii) the work of Anthony Giddens, particularly his book 'The Transformation of Intimacy' (1993); (iii) the purpose of marriage in pre-modern societies, and the development of the idea of romantic love in the late 18th century; (iv) Giddens' concept of the 'pure relationship'; (v) the decreasing prevalence of the heterosexual nuclear family and the rise of alternative family types, e.g. single parent families, same sex couples, etc.; (vi) the concept of 'individualisation'; (vii) the work of Carol Smart and the sociology of one's 'personal life'; (viii) the major changes in how people connect with one another, and the things that have stayed the same.

References:
– A. Giddens, The Transformation of Intimacy (1992)
– C. Smart, The Sociology of Personal Life (2011)

About the lecturer

Dr Vicki Harman is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Surrey. Her research interests include family life, motherhood and gender. She is co-editor of Feeding Children Inside and Outside the Home (2019) and Mothering, Mixed Families and Racialised Boundaries (2015), and author of The Sexual Politics of Ballroom Dancing (2018).