Social Settings as a Research Objective of Family Studies
Social Settings as a Research Objective of Family Studies

Summary/Abstract: Historical events of the 20th century caused serious changes within the family life at the individual level as well as in the family as a special kin structure. Even though the changes seemed to be slow, moreover in the constructed reflections and memories family is frequently presented as a stable institution, which is a part of everyday ontological security of its members. Analysing the narratives, which depict individual life courses of people, we receive (representations which lead to) answers to questions concerning changes of family structure, responsibility and the status of family members, etc. Analysing mostly qualitative data, the proposed paper is going to show the complexities and varieties of life courses in the context of the radical social transformations which was (and still is) experienced in Slovakia, representing a Central European region. Mostly rural-urban cooperation within generations, as well as tensions in between generations, work migration (within and later out of the country), unstable marriage ties, were experienced both in the eras of socialism and globalization. The paper is partly based on secondary sources concerning an overview of family studies development in Slovakia. The other part is based on already published empirical studies gathered in rural as well as urban areas of Slovakia since the early 1980s up until nowadays within life course and family studies as well as women’s studies in ethnology.

• Details
• Contents