Race and Family

Roberta L. Coles is professor of sociology at Marquette University. She specializes in the study of family and is the author of The Best Kept Secret: Single Black Fathers and coeditor of The Myth of the Missing Black Father.

Race and Family offers one of the most comprehensive explorations of family life I have encountered in my decades of teaching family courses. Professor Coles describes her book as providing an integrated structural approach to understanding families, and it succeeds in moving seamlessly across time, cultures, and nationalities to explain how historic and economic forces shape families. Using an engaging writing style, the book explores topics ranging from cross-national differences in gender relations to processes of acculturation among immigrant families. While the title Race and Family does aptly describe the book’s focus, it almost belies the richness and scope of its contents.

• Brief Table of Contents1. Introduction Overview of the Text Discussion of Key Concepts Resources 2. Approaching the Study of Race and Family Economic Factors Demographic Factors Historical-Legal Factors Resources3. A Brief History of the American Family American Families through the Centuries Resources 4. Cross-Cultural Comparisons Social or Legal Marriage Marriage Types and Choices Marriage as a Family Affair Family Power Systems Family Functions Resources5. Family Structures Prevalence of Family Structure from the Child’s Perspective Pathways to Single Parenthood Advantages and Disadvantages of Family Structures Extended Family Households Nonfamily Households Resources 6. Gender Relations and Sex Ratios Gender Construction and Socialization Sex Ratios African American Gender IssuesNative American Gender Issues Latina/o Gender Issues Asian American Gender Issues Domestic Violence Resources 7. Intergenerational Relationships: Parent and Child Individual and Communal Orientations Effects of Socioeconomic Status on Children’s Well-Being Racial Socialization Resources 8 Intergenerational Relationships in Late Life: The Elderly, Their Adult Children, and Their Grandchildren Intergenerational Interaction Caregiving for the Ill Elderly Illness and Death Death Resources 9. African American Families How Did Slavery Shape Black American Families? African American Families after Slavery African American Families Today Resources10. Native American Families Looking Back in History The State of American Indian Families Today Resources 11. Latino American Families Manner and Timing of Entry Effects of History and Immigration on Socioeconomic Status Familism and Cultural Commonalities Divergent Family Trends among Latino Ethnic Groups Resources 12. Asian American Families East Asians in America Southeast Asians in America Asian American Families Today Resources 13. Middle Eastern American Families Religions in the Middle East Their Immigration History Current Demographics and Family Life Resources 14. Acculturation and Multiracial Family Issues Acculturation Multiracial Issues Resources