Durable despite tension: Adult sibling relationships within family figurations

Abstract

This article analyses adults’ experiences of sibling relationships in the context of the network of family and kin relations – namely, family figurations. In sociological research, there has been growing interest in qualitatively investigating siblings, a theme that was long overshadowed by the interest in intergenerational ties. This study contributes to the discussion on adult sibling relationships as significant and interconnected with other family relationships in individuals’ lives. Drawing upon Elias’ concept of figuration and Smart’s concept of the embeddedness of family relationships, I examine how sibling relationships are experienced in the life stage of family formation. Analysing 32 research interviews with women and men from 16 couples, the article shows three distinct dynamics of how sibling relationships are connected to family figuration. The study contributes to our understanding of how sibling relationships are experienced and lived as embedded within other family relationships. Furthermore, it demonstrates how figuration and embeddedness, two central concepts in family sociology, can be brought together to understand personal relationships in contemporary society.