Kinship Matters

Description

This book is the fifth in the Cambridge Socio-Legal Group series and it concerns the evolving notions and practices of kinship in contemporary Britain and the interrelationship of kinship, law and social policy. Assembling contributions from scholars in a range of disciplines, it examines social, legal, cultural and psychological questions related to kinship. Rising rates of divorce and of alternative modes of partnership have raised questions about the care and well-being of children, while increasing longevity and mobility, together with lower birth rates and changes in our economic circumstances, have led to a reconsideration of duties and responsibilities towards the care of elderly people. In addition, globalisation trends and international flows of migrants and refugees have confronted us with alternative constructions of kinship and with the challenges of maintaining kinship ties transnationally. Finally, new developments in genetics research and the growing use of assisted reproductive technologies may raise questions about our notions of kinship and of kin rights and responsibilities. The book explores these changes from various perspectives and draws on theoretical and empirical data to describe practices of kinship in contemporary Britain.

Fatemeh Ebtehaj is an associate member of the Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge. Bridget Lindley is a solicitor and family mediator and was a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge. Martin Richards is Emeritus Professor of Family Research at the Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge.

...a coherent contribution to understandings of the interaction between legal frameworks and lived experiences of kinship...contains theoretical chapters and both qualitative and quantitative empirical chapters which compliment each other well...the book will be of particular interest to academics working in this area, as well as to policy-makers and service-providers. -- Katherine Davies * Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, Vol. 29, Nos. 3-4 * This timely collection draws together fascinating and often comprehensive information, analysis and arguments about kin and social policy. If readers require either a detailed overview of contemporary, cultural, or historical socio-legal perspectives on kinship, or a reference book about specific kin subtopics, then this book is to be highly recommended. -- Bob Broad * Children & Society, Vol 21 *