This book depicts the family from a sociological perspective. First, it presents
several definitions of the family in the sociological literature and shows how these
definitions are related. It views the family as one of the kinship groups in society and
indicates how the nuclear family is influenced by the structure of the kinship
system. The book then relates the type of kinship and family system to the total
community and society. Next, it focuses on kinship and family in contemporary
society and then specifically on courtship and on relationships within the nuclear
family. Materials on the socialization of children are included, for the transmission
of the culture of the family and society depends on childrearing. In the concluding
section change in family organization is discussed.

Although this book was not designed to accompany my Family: Organization
and Interaction, much of the material supplements that book. The major difference
between Family and this book is the increased emphasis on age-grading in American
kinship relations.

Probably no one will agree with me that the papers in this volume are arranged in
the most appropriate sequence. Articles on socialization appear next to articles on
lineage characteristics; investigations based on limited samples are presented next
to others resting on cross-cultural analysis. My only defense is that papers are
arranged by chapter topics rather than by scope or technique of analysis.

The aid and advice of colleagues and friends should be acknowledged. David L.
Harvey, William C. Jenne, Efrosini John, Harry M. Johnson, Aleksandras
Kulikauskas, Jerry M. Lewis, and Michael Lewis, all of the University of Illinois,
have commented on selections and introductory statements for various chapters.
Louis Schneider provided invaluable assistance in the translation of the Schelsky
paper. Credit for the clarity of the translation belongs to him; responsibility for
ambiguities is mine. I wish also to express my appreciation to Daniel Glaser,
Joseph Gusfield, Bernard Karsh and Joseph Meyerowitz for many stimulating
discussions of family and society and to Jerry Lewis for preparing the index.

This book is dedicated to my wife Annette.

BERNARD FARBER

Urbana, Illinois
February, 1966

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