TY - JOUR PY - 2008// TI - What Is Family Diversity? Objective and Interpretive Approaches JO - Journal of family issues A1 - Harris, Scott R. SP - 1407 EP - 1425 VL - 29 IS - 11 N2 - This article differentiates two ways of understanding family diversity— objectively and interpretively. The search for objective diversity is rooted in the assumption that there are many different kinds of families in the United States and around the world; the search for interpretive diversity is rooted in the assumption that any given "family" may be described in different, often contradictory ways. These divergent assumptions can lead relatively objective or interpretive scholars to produce divergent analyses, even as they use seemingly identical concepts to address similar explanatory concerns. Recognizing the difference between objective and interpretive family diversity can help illuminate the distinctive contributions of existing scholarship and open up potential avenues for future research.
LA - SN - 0192-513X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0192513X08318841 ID - ref1 ER -