Redefining Family
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Redefining Family literature review
KRJC's research fellows have studied several disciplines to advance discussion about the relationship between the development of American capitalism and the history of family structures in the United States. The result of this work is Redefining Family, a 43 page literature review.
We have explored anticapitalist and Black feminist frameworks to trace the ways the American family has transformed over the last four centuries, demonstrating the inextricable tie between capitalist exploitation and the development of the nuclear family ideal. We have outlined the destructive impact of the nuclear family ideal on families of color, lower-income families, and queer communities through family surveillance, separation, and the state’s neglect of those who don’t conform to the reigning white, middle-class nuclear family norm.
Instead, we posit that a valid solution is family abolition, a theoretical framework which arose from the feminist movement of the twentieth century, which asserts that the capitalist system’s reliance on private families to fulfill all of individuals’ care needs is harmful to families in itself.
We have explored anticapitalist and Black feminist frameworks to trace the ways the American family has transformed over the last four centuries, demonstrating the inextricable tie between capitalist exploitation and the development of the nuclear family ideal. We have outlined the destructive impact of the nuclear family ideal on families of color, lower-income families, and queer communities through family surveillance, separation, and the state’s neglect of those who don’t conform to the reigning white, middle-class nuclear family norm.
Instead, we posit that a valid solution is family abolition, a theoretical framework which arose from the feminist movement of the twentieth century, which asserts that the capitalist system’s reliance on private families to fulfill all of individuals’ care needs is harmful to families in itself.
Executive Summaries
In addition to the full report, we have compiled two executive summaries: academic and informal. This information is packaged in a more accessible and concise way for those seeking to use this information in their work (academic) or to share with their communities (informal).
