American Behavioral History

"A masterful introduction to a new kind of history, one that looks to the past to illuminate the most basic aspects of contemporary behavior, from parenting practices and consumer behavior to the rise of the hospice and the growing acceptance of oral sex. This is one of those seminal books that radically transforms the way we look at the present and the past." -- Steven Mintz,author of Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood "As always, Peter Stearns stimulates our thinking about history and human experience in important ways. American Behavioral History is unconventional, provocative, and compelling. This collection gives new vigor to the study of social history." -- Joan Jacobs Brumberg,author of The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls "Peter Stearns and his intrepid co-conspirators do not, like other seekers of truth in history, try to understand the past in its own terms. Instead, they try to learn from the past to touch the present and affect the future. One after another, their extraordinary essays suggest that their audacious ambition may be attainable." -- Michael Zuckerman,author of Almost Chosen People: Oblique Biographies in the American Grain "Contextually rich, in-depth and well argued." * Journal of Social History * "Stearns and his colleagues leave us with a compelling sense that we need history to understand ourselves. Without an engaged historical perspective on todays behaviors, prescriptions for social change will not only fail, but leave us vulnerable to quick fixes and moral zealotry, sparking social behaviors;incidentally, with a rich American past;whose history might assist us in our efforts to understand todays cultural and political climate, and, perhaps, begin to change it." * Journal of American History *

Peter N. Stearns is Provost and University Professor at George Mason University. Since 1967, he has served as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Social History. His numerous books include World History in Documents; American Behavioral History; and Anxious Parents.

Preface 1 Introduction Peter N. StearnsPart I: Family and Childhood2 The Cute Child and Modern American Parenting Gary Cross3 Abduction Stories That Changed Our Lives: From Charley Ross to Modern Behavior Paula S. Fass4 "If They Have Any Orders, I Am Theirs to Command": Indulgent Middle-Class Grandparents in American Society Linda W. RosenzweigPart II: Emotions and Consumer Behavior5 There's No Place Like Home: Homesickness and Homemaking in America Susan J. Matt6 Horseless Horses: Car Dealing and the Survival of Retail Bargaining Steven M. GelberPart III: Death and Mourning7 American Death Peter N. Stearns8 Laid Out in "Big Mama's Kitchen": African Americans and the Personalized Theme Funeral Suzanne SmithPart IV: Perception of the Senses9 Making Scents Make Sense: White Noses, Black Smells, and Desegregation Mark M. SmithPart V: Sexuality10 Tainted Love: The Transformation of Oral-Genital Behavior in the United States,1970-2000 Kevin WhiteAbout the Contributors Index