SHAH, A. M., THE FAMILY IN INDIA: Critical Essays. New Delhi: Orient Longman Ltd.

Abstract

SHAH, A. M., THE FAMILY IN INDIA: Critical Essays. New Delhi: Orient Longman Ltd., 1998, 173 pp., $14.00 / Rs. 110.00 softcover. In this collection of essays, A.M. Shah presents an analysis of the family as one of the fundamental structures of Indian society. The articles in this volume are based on the existing literature on the Indian family and on empirical data col lected in a Gujarat vi lage in the 1950's. The book is comprised of nine chapters. Chapter two provides an extensive literature review of the varied concepts of family used in the field over the years by scholars and experts. The author concludes that the distinctions between family and household, between complete and incomplete elementary families, between an extended family and a joint family and between the meanings of legal and sociological terms are necessary to obtain a full picture of the family in Indian society. Chapters three and four employ empirical data to examine the assumptions about the traditional Indian family system and to explore the changes in the household structure over time. The author argues that the general belief that, traditionally, all Indians live in large and complex households (joint households) in villages is unrealistic and that the joint household is not disintegrating but emerging into a new form. The average size of household has remained quite stable from the early nineteenth century (about 4.5) up to 1991 (about 5.5) but has been increasing steadily since 1961. Chapters five and six cover inter-household family relations and lineage relations. These two chapters address the complexity of household and family types and the difficulty of inter-personal relationships, especially in a household including several sons and their wives and children. The author argues that, even when members of a family set up separate households out of the normative expectation, the family bond between them continues. Presumably, family ties entailing interhousehold relations have become stronger than in the past. The next chapter traces the lineage structure in Ra&vanaj in both 1825 and 1955. Historical data is used for the analysis of lineage structure. Chapter eight deals with caste endogamy and spouse selection in Gujarat and the changes which have occurred in modern times. It is argued that most inter-caste marriages occur between sub-castes (i.e., inter-ekda or inter-tads marriages) within each caste (jatis). However, such marriages still form a small proportion of the total number of marriages. A totally caste-free society is not likely to happen in the near future in India due to the fact that caste is deeply embedded in each individual's network of relatives and in the political system at every level. The final chapter looks at the problems and limitations regarding policy issues in modern India. The author points out that the ineffectiveness of current policies stems from ignoring the specific cultural principles which govern the majority of the population and from the existence of fundamental ideological contradictions among different-yet-related policies (i. …