The Social Origins Of Private Life by Stephanie Coontz
A History of American Families, 1600–1900
This book traces how ideas and practices of family life in America were shaped by social, economic, and cultural forces from the colonial era through the nineteenth century, showing that modern notions of privacy, intimacy, and companionate marriage emerged historically rather than naturally. It analyzes changing household structures, gender roles, childhood, and sexuality across class, race, and region, and explains how industrialization, legal reforms, demographic shifts, and shifting moral values transformed domestic relations. By grounding private life in public contexts and institutions, the work argues that family forms are contingent products of broader social change rather than fixed biological or moral givens.
- Published
- 1988
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Unknown
- Pages
- Unknown
- Original Language
- English
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