LEADER 04818nam 2200589 a 450 001 9910782018403321 005 20230207225552.0 010 $a1-84964-067-X 010 $a1-281-72507-2 010 $a9786611725075 010 $a1-4356-6096-X 035 $a(CKB)1000000000533527 035 $a(StDuBDS)AH22933372 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000102069 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11124976 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000102069 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10050586 035 $a(PQKB)11363591 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3386350 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3386350 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10479886 035 $a(OCoLC)815683682 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000533527 100 $a20050415d2005 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur||||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 14$aThe American family$b[electronic resource] $eacross the class divide /$fYasushi Watanabe 210 $aLondon ;$aAnn Arbor, Mich. $cPluto Press$d2005 215 $a1 online resource (240 p.) 300 $aBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph 311 $a0-7453-1552-6 311 $a0-7453-1557-7 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 214-223) and index. 330 $b'Yasushi Watanabe has achieved a sympathetic yet trenchant analysis of the American boast of having achieved a happy fusion of individualism with democracy.' Michael Herzfeld, Professor of Anthropology, Harvard University'A Harvard-educated Japanese anthropologist takes a fresh look at two communities that are undergoing similar fragmentation: the lower-middle-class Irish of South Boston, and the descendents of the upper-class Boston Brahmins. He deftly contrasts the transformation of their respective collective identities and helps us understand how the two groups now interpret their history and traditions. Thus, we understand better the restructuring that American class cultures have undergone in recent decades. This illuminating book will be particularly useful in courses on inequality, community, and culture in the United States.'Michele Lamont, Professor of Sociology, Harvard University 'A fascinating look inside the lives of Boston's elite and working class families. Only a stranger's eyes could discern the cultural contours of resignation and hope that social change has visited on the descendants of the Boston's Brahmins and Irish immigrants. ... A magnificent contribution to our understanding of social change and class culture, seen from the inside of his subjects' lives.' Katherine Newman, Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs, Princeton University'Watanabe has managed to cast new light on this important topic by his superb ethnography of ... the contemporary descendants of Brahmin lineages and the sorts of local culture and influence that they have engendered. ... Watanabe has provided insights and material that will be indispensable to American studies in the broadest terms.' George E. Marcus, Professor of Anthropology, Rice UniversityWhite, middle-class Americans are one of the most understudied groups in the anthropology of the United States - perhaps because of their hegemonic presence in society. This book offers the first ethnography of 'white middle-class America' from a non-native perspective. Yasushi Watanabe, a Japanese anthropologist, examines two social groups in the Boston area to reveal an intimate portrait of the 'American' family. These two groups are at opposite ends of the social spectrum in terms of religious, ethnic and class backgrounds, and in terms of cultural tastes and lifestyles. The first group is upper-middle class, Anglo Saxon, Protestant, mostly Unitarian or Episcopalian - often identified as archetypical middle-class America. This is a wealthy group that includes descendants of the 'Boston Brahmins', one of America's oldest aristocratic families, closely related to Democratic hopeful John Kerry. The second group is working-class or lower middle-class, Irish Catholic, often referred to as 'Boston Irish'. Informed by a wide range of social theory, The American Family is a fascinating study of family dynamics in modern America that explores how Americans construct their social realities and cultural histories, and how modern society shapes their lived experience. 606 $aFamilies$zUnited States 606 $aFamilies$xPolitical aspects$zUnited States 606 $aSocial classes$zUnited States 615 0$aFamilies 615 0$aFamilies$xPolitical aspects 615 0$aSocial classes 676 $a306.85/0973 700 $aWatanabe$b Yasushi$f1967-$01490925 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910782018403321 996 $aThe American family$93712411 997 $aUNINA