Whether related by biology, marriage, circumstance, or choice, aunts embody a uniquely flexible familial role. The aunt-niece/nephew relationship–though often overlooked–is critical and complex, one that appears at the core of a resilient, healthy family life.
In this engaging book, Laura Ellingson and Patricia Sotirin construct a consideration of ‘aunts’ that moves from noun to verb. ‘Aunts’ is more than a group of people or a role; instead, ‘to aunt’ is a practice, something people ‘do.’ Some women ‘aunt’ as second mothers, friends, or mentors, while others play more peripheral roles. In either case, aunts nonetheless significantly impact their nieces and nephews’ life choices.
Drawing on personal narratives that represent a rich cross section of society, Ellingson and Sotirin construct a cohesive story of the diversity of aunting experiences in the contemporary United States. Skillfully written, Aunting recovers the enormous potential of this dynamic kinship relationship and offers a model for understanding and supporting the variety of families in society today.
Tabella dei contenuti
Preface
Introduction: Why Aunts?
1: Caring for Kin
2: Constructing Kin
3: Aunts at a Distance
4: My Auntie, My Self
5: Mentoring and Modeling
6: Carrying on the Family
Conclusion: Aunting in the Twenty-First Century
Circa l’autore
Patricia J. Sotirin is Professor of Communication at Michigan Technological University and co-author of Where the Aunts Are – Family, Feminism, and Kinship in Popular Culture with Laura L. Ellingson.
Laura L. Ellingson is Professor of Communication and Women’s & Gender Studies at Santa Clara University and co-author of Where the Aunts Are – Family, Feminism, and Kinship in Popular Culture with Patricia J. Sotirin.
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