Fathers in cultural context

Abstract

David W. Shwalb, Barbara J. Shwalb, and Michael E. Lamb, (eds.). Fathers in Cultural Context. New York: Routledge (2013). 448 pages, ISBN: 9781848729483Fathers in Cultural Context represents an ambitious attempt to explore and combine into a comprehensive collection two relatively under researched areas within family studies: fatherhood and cross-cultural in parenting. In doing so, book makes an important contribution to our understanding of fathering in many of world's most populated countries.The bulk of book is divided up into five sections which explore fatherhood within each major continent. Part two focuses on Asia; part three Africa; part four Americas; part five Europe; and part six Australia. Each chapter is structured along similar lines, including an opening case story; cultural background and influences on fathers; a review of related research; sub-cultural variations in fathering; social and economic impacts on fathering; legal frameworks and policies affecting fathering; comparisons with fathers in other areas; and a concluding summary. In conclusion editors identify five key themes which emerge from text. First, they argue that culture and history have a significant impact of fatherhood. Second, quality of research on fatherhood is variegated. Third, degree to which social policies affect fathers varies across cultures. Fourth, sub-cultural variation in fathering is universal. Lastly, fathering is affected by economic conditions. The editors contend that book provides the first comprehensive English-language accounts of fathering in cultures concerned by authors that are fluent in native languages of relevant cultures.The contributors begin each chapter by introducing reader to a specific father and then go on to situate them within increasingly broader structures, from institutional, communal and social. In this way each contributor is able to approach issue of fatherhood from differing levels of analysis-micro-individual to file macro-social-in a which partly addresses many of methodological burdens that have plagued social scientific research (see Coleman 1990).The book is recommendable reading for a number of audiences: family researchers who would like an understanding of how fatherhood is understood and interpreted in various locales across world; scholars who are interested in exploring fathering in areas outside of Anglo-American community; and students or those who are new to study of fathering. …

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