About this ebook
Key Features:
- Investigates the impact of cultural diversity on the study of families: In order to transcend simplistic categorizations that have juxtaposed White families in opposition to families of color and vice versa, this book delineates the increasing cultural diversity of American families and examines the impact of these demographic changes for the social sciences.
- Emphasizes the full range of cultural aspects: The book consciously emphasizes cultural aspects, not just ethnicity, but also socioeconomic status, gender, religion, etc. over racial impacts on family life so as not to reinforce the myth that race is a biological truth. By sharing unique family experiences across groups, the book enhances understanding, directs future family research, and serves these families through responsive policy and practice.
- Offers more coverage of culturally diverse families than any other text: Divided into three parts, this comprehensive text first sets the stage of historical, current, and projected demographic trends pertaining to American families; explores issues facing culturally diverse families from a thematic perspective; and discusses of the impact of cultural diversity for family theory, research, service delivery, and public policy.
Intended Audience:
This is an excellent text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Families in a Multicultural Society, Ethnic Minority Families, and Cultural Diversity in American Families in the departments of Human Development & Family Studies, Sociology, and Family Social Work.
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About the author
Bahira Sherif Trask, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Individual and Family Studies, University of Delaware, and is a Policy Scientist in the Center for Community Research and Service. She has a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Yale University. Her research focuses on issues of cultural diversity and the relationship between work, gender, and family life. She recently co-edited The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women′s Issues Worldwide (2003) and has published in numerous journals, including Journal of Family Issues, Qualitative Inquiry, Anthropology Today, and Journal of Teaching About Families & Marriage. In 1999, she was awarded the prestigious Sussman Groves Young Professional Research Award to support her continued research on issues of family and diversity. A frequent presenter at national and international conferences, Dr. Sherif-Trask is an acknowledged expert witness and national commentator on challenges facing American families. She serves as reviewer for several major journals, including Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Journal of Human Organization: Applied Anthropology, Fathering & Fatherhood, Journal of Family Issues, and Family Science Review. In addition to her academic activities, Dr. Sherif-Trask is a co-founder and board member of Cradle of Hope, a home for teenage pregnant girls in the Philadelphia area.
Raeann R. Hamon is Professor of Family Science and Gerontology in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Messiah College, Pennsylvania. She holds one of two Scholar Chair Awards at Messiah College. Dr. Hamon received her Ph.D. in Family and Child Development and Graduate Certificate in Gerontology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She has numerous publications and presentations on topics such as filial responsibility, family relationships in later life, parents’ experience of adult children’s divorce, intergenerational service-learning, Bahamian folklore, and Bahamian family life. She recently co-edited Mate Selection Across Cultures (Sage, 2003) and served as an associate editor for the four-volume International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family (Macmillan Reference, 2003) and as a guest editor for a special double issue of the Journal of Teaching in Marriage and Family: Innovations in Family Science (Haworth, 2004), which was devoted to the topic of teaching about international families. A Certified Family Life Educator, she is an enthusiastic teacher of courses like Marital Relationships, Dynamics of Family Interaction, Sociology of Aging, and Foundations of Marriage and Family. She is President of the Association of Councils and a member of the Executive Board for the National Council on Family Relations, where she is also an active member of the International Section.
