Reflexivity over and above convention: the new orthodoxy in the sociology of personal life, formerly sociology of the family

Abstract

There is a new orthodoxy in the field that was once understood as the sociology of the family, and is increasingly understood as the sociology of 'personal life', 'intimacy', 'relationships' and 'families'. The orthodoxy highlights the open-endedness of intimate relations at the expense of the family as an institution; that is, reflexivity over and above convention. This article argues that the new orthodoxy not only overstates reflexivity at the expense of convention, but abdicates understanding to frameworks grounded in biologistic and economistic understandings of human behaviour. The article makes its point through attention to three areas of research at odds with the new orthodoxy: paternity uncertainty, inheritance and family business. It then proposes that conceptualization of the family as an institutional regime gives due weight to the reflexive reconfiguration of family relationships and practices on the one hand, and their institutional embeddedness on the other.

Bryllup i avtradisjonaliseringens tidsalder

“…Tradisjoner kan vaere en kilde til kreativitet og dynamikk (Thompson, 1996). Mange studier av familie-og kjønnsrelasjoner støtter en tilnaerming som gir rom for at avtradisjonalisering kan foregå samtidig med at tradisjoner videreføres (Carter & Duncan, 2018;Gilding, 2010;Jamieson, 1999;Lauer & Yodanis, 2010).…”

Why Marry? The Role of Tradition in Women's Marital Aspirations

“…It cannot be denied that there is more opportunity now for couples to create the relationship that suits them and individuals are, indeed, fulfilling this to a certain extent. But it must also be acknowledged that this research suggests that despite having the opportunity to experience 'pure relationships' or 'living beyond the conventional family', this is far from ubiquitous and, in fact, relationship decisions are still very often bound by considerations of tradition, family, obligation and convention (see also Gilding 2010;Duncan 2014;Finch and Mason 1993). Indeed, this is the normative discourse that prevails in British society and British culture, (see David Cameron cited in Hall 2015, for example) through which nearly all relationship decisions must define themselves, whether positively or negatively.…”

Perspectives on Marital Dissolution

“…With the flourishing of new family configurations, several community scholars have gone on to show that personal ties and relationships remain salient and desired despite being constructed and maintained based on individual choice (Morgan 1996;Silva and Smart 1999;Weeks et al 2001;Pahl and Spencer 2004;Pahl and Pevalin 2005;Spencer and Pahl 2006;Gilding 2010). Morgan (1996) emphasises that while family models and practices are changing to reflect the subjective meanings of family, family practices as he calls it are far from declining in significance in people's lives.…”