Family rhythms: The changing textures of family life in Ireland - Softcover

Gray, Jane; Geraghty, Ruth; Ralph, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0719091527 ISBN 13: 9780719091520

Publisher: Manchester University Press, 2016

Synopsis

Family rhythms is the first textbook of its kind with an explicit focus on Ireland and Irish families. Uniquely, the book draws on original in-depth interviews with people of different ages to introduce contemporary scholarship on the family and to illustrate how Irish families have adapted and changed over time. With chapters on childhood, adolescence, parenting and grandparenthood, the book shows the resilience of families in different social and historical contexts. Each chapter includes a discussion of the challenges that face families and how social research can inform policy makers' responses.

Family rhythms is a comprehensive, user-friendly textbook that offers a variety of strategies for engaging readers, including direct encounters with qualitative data through the use of classroom oriented discussion panels. Synopses of landmark Irish studies are included throughout, bringing the insights from these key studies together in a single textbook for the first time.

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About this title

About the Author

Jane Gray is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Maynooth University and Research Associate of the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis

Ruth Geraghty is Data Curator for the Children's Research Network for Ireland and Northern Ireland at the Centre for Effective Services

David Ralph is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Trinity College, Dublin

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From the Back Cover

Family rhythms is the first textbook of its kind to offer a comprehensive introduction to family studies through an explicit focus on the Irish experience. It draws on original in-depth interviews with more than two hundred Irish people of different ages to illustrate contemporary theoretical ideas and empirical scholarship on family life. Ireland provides an interesting case study given the speed at which Irish family patterns have converged with those of other European and North American countries while maintaining many distinctive characteristics. The book situates Irish families in comparative perspective, showing how the Irish experience sheds light on continuities and changes in family forms and practices more generally. It does this with chapters on childhood, adolescence, parenting, and grandparenthood that reveal the resilience of families at different life course stages. Each chapter also includes a discussion of the challenges that face families and how social research can inform policy makers' responses.

Family rhythms is a comprehensive, user-friendly text book that offers a variety of strategies for engaging its readers, including direct encounters with qualitative data through the use of discussion panels, where longer quotations are presented in a classroom oriented format. Synopses of landmark Irish studies are included and referenced throughout, bringing these key studies together in a single textbook for the first time. Key concepts and terms in family sociology are defined and easily referenced. It will be of interest to undergraduate students of sociology, social care and social policy, and other readers interested in Irish family change.

From the Inside Flap

Family rhythms is the first textbook of its kind to offer a comprehensive introduction to family studies through an explicit focus on the Irish experience. It draws on original in-depth interviews with more than two hundred Irish people of different ages to illustrate contemporary theoretical ideas and empirical scholarship on family life. Ireland provides an interesting case study given the speed at which Irish family patterns have converged with those of other European and North American countries while maintaining many distinctive characteristics. The book situates Irish families in comparative perspective, showing how the Irish experience sheds light on continuities and changes in family forms and practices more generally. It does this with chapters on childhood, adolescence, parenting, and grandparenthood that reveal the resilience of families at different life course stages. Each chapter also includes a discussion of the challenges that face families and how social research can inform policy makers' responses. Family rhythms is a comprehensive, user-friendly text book that offers a variety of strategies for engaging its readers, including direct encounters with qualitative data through the use of discussion panels, where longer quotations are presented in a classroom oriented format. Synopses of landmark Irish studies are included and referenced throughout, bringing these key studies together in a single textbook for the first time. Key concepts and terms in family sociology are defined and easily referenced. It will be of interest to undergraduate students of sociology, social care and social policy, and other readers interested in Irish family change.

Edition details

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0719091527
• ISBN 13: 9780719091520
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272