Arland Thornton – författare

European and American scholars from the eighteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries thought that all societies passed through the same developmental stages, from primitive to advanced. Implicit in this developmental paradigm - one that has affected generations of thought-was the assumption that one could "read history sideways." That is, one could see what the earlier stages of a modern Western society looked like by examining contemporaneous so-called primitive societies in other parts of the world. In Reading History Sideways, Arland Thornton demonstrates how this approach, though long since discredited, has permeated Western ideas about the family. Further, its domination of social science for centuries caused the misinterpretation of Western trends in family, marriage, fertility, and parent-child relations. Revisiting the "developmental fallacy," Thornton traces its central role in changes in the Western world, from marriage to gender roles to adolescent sexuality. Through public policies, aid programs, and colonialism, it continues to reshape families in non-Western societies as well.

European and American scholars from the eighteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries thought that all societies passed through the same developmental stages, from primitive to advanced. Implicit in this developmental paradigm - one that has affected generations of thought on societal development - was the assumption that one could "read history sideways." That is, one could see what the earlier stages of a modern Western society looked like by examining contemporaneous so-called primitive societies in other parts of the world. In Reading History Sideways, leading family scholar Arland Thornton demonstrates how this approach, though long since discredited, has permeated Western ideas and values about the family. Further, its domination of social science for centuries caused the minister-pretation of Western trends in family structure, marriage, fertility, and parent-child relations. Revisiting the "developmental fallacy," Thornton here traces its central role in changes in the Western world, from marriage to gender roles to adolescent sexuality. Through public policies, aid programs, and colonialism, it continues to reshape families in non-Western societies as well.

Situating their argument in the context of the Western world's five-hundred-year history of marriage, the authors of this work reveal what factors encourage marriage and cohabitation in a contemporary society where marriage and the relationships between women and men have changed dramatically. While many people still choose to marry without first cohabiting, others elect to cohabit with varying degrees of commitment or intentions of eventual marriage. The authors' controversial findings suggest that family history, religious affiliation, values, projected education, lifetime earnings, and career aspirations all tip the scales in favor of either cohabitation or marriage. This book lends new insight into young adult relationship patterns and will be of interest to sociologists, historians, and demographers alike.

Situating their argument in the context of the Western world's five-hundred-year history of marriage, the authors of this work reveal what factors encourage marriage and cohabitation in a contemporary society where marriage and the relationships between women and men have changed dramatically. While many people still choose to marry without first cohabiting, others elect to cohabit with varying degrees of commitment or intentions of eventual marriage. The authors' controversial findings suggest that family history, religious affiliation, values, projected education, lifetime earnings, and career aspirations all tip the scales in favor of either cohabitation or marriage. This book lends new insight into young adult relationship patterns and will be of interest to sociologists, historians, and demographers alike.

Many dimensions of family life have changed. Age at marriage has risen, arranged marriages and extended families have declined, intergenerational relationships have been altered, and contraceptive usage has become widespread. Until now, most explanations have focused on structural influences that emphasize changes in social and economic circumstances and constraints.There is growing recognition, however, that structural changes alone are insufficient and that broad ideational and normative forces must be included in order to better understand family changes around the world. These ideational forces include the growing emphasis on personal freedom, social equality, and individual prerogative. These new ideas are related to the place and role of individuals relative to family and larger community, and to changing norms concerning marriage, the relationships between men and women, the connections across generations, and the place of children in families. Featuring contributions from an international group of scholars, this new book emphasizes the ideational and motivational underpinnings of family life and the ways that attitudinal and value changes have influenced family behavior and relationships.International Family Change examines family attitudes, beliefs, and relationships in virtually every region of the globe, with an emphasis on the theoretical models for examining family changes. In particular, it argues that family life in the Western world is not the sole product of social and economic trends and that family change outside the West is not destined to follow the same trajectory. Chapters focusing on Iran and Vietnam help demonstrate that, rather than following a Western model, some global family change has resulted from rejecting it. The chapters on Nepal and Africa illustrate how the introduction of new ideas through the media and religion can reshape family beliefs. The chapters on Japan and Argentina demonstrate how unique cultural circumstances can influence family change.Intended for researchers and advanced students in human development, family studies, social psychology, sociology, geography, anthropology, economics, and history, this book also serves as a resource for advanced courses on the family and its history, family development, and social change taught in those departments.