Communal Family Research Articles

Church Responsibility Towards the Influence of Civilization on Christian Senior Citizens

The invaluable place of senior citizens cannot be overemphasized in the African community. In fact, any community devoid of them can be considered incomplete by every human standard. Senior citizens are male and female individuals who are above sixty years of age. There is a paradigm shift against senior citizens in contemporary Nigeria due to the influence of civilization. The paper identifies specific factors responsible for weakening the strong foundation of the place and welfare of senior citizens in Nigerian societies and they are inadequate appropriation of civilization in the African context, change of value for communal family life, the ideology of liberation and individualism, eradication of kinship care and co-residence practice, economic instability, unemployment, insecurity, oppression and injustice. Caring for senior citizens is rooted in the Bible and the responsibilities of the church toward senior citizens in the face of civilization include advocating and promoting policy for the care of senior citizens, celebration programmes for senior citizens, ministering to the spiritual needs of senior citizenry, and reconciliation, among others. The paper submits that the church should faithfully discharge their roles towards the welfare of senior citizens and this will help them to live a fulfilled life and prepare them for eternity with Jesus Christ. The paper concludes that the challenges of civilization that are confronting senior citizens can be mitigated through church responsibilities toward senior citizens.

Rebuilding Identities amidst the Cultural Trauma in “Pali”

The Indo-Pak partition of 1947 has not only invaded the physical space by making two independent nations - secular India and Islamic Pakistan - creating a demarcation between Hindus and Muslims but also intruded upon their psychological space tearing and ripping off their mindsets with the clear division of cultural identities between the two. This paper examines critically how the aesthetics of art employed in the story “Pali” does full justice in distributing the equal burden of trauma on both the parties- Hindus and Muslims-to arouse a special affect in the minds of readers in the post-partition of 1947. Such affect is quintessential and very meaningful while reshaping and rebuilding the identities in the community to reconcile with peace and harmony. It also examines how the shadow of an individual trauma falls on communal families and then on the society caused by the handful of bigshots-Maulvi and Chaudhri for their identity politics. The story spins around the little boy, who was lost in Pakistan during the partition riots, got separated from the Hindu family, lived with the childless Muslim couple, and was restored to the Hindu family eventually. It portrays the sufferings of both the child-Pali Yashpal and his parents due to communal superiority and religious fanaticism. “Pali” by Bhisam Sahni can be analyzed in the light of trauma art - the trauma of the partition, traumatic experience of religious conversion, identity politics, morality, and ethical concern.

“Small House! The Cross’s Religiously Modified Institution.” A Historical Cultural Materialist Approach to the Genesis, Growth and Development of Small Houses in Zimbabwe

The family is the most important basic social institution in any state since time immemorial. It is from this institution that clans, tribes and nations were born. It was the center of the means of production. Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular, the family system tallies with the religious or the ideological system or vice versa. African Indigenous Religion (AIR) is a religious ideology anchored on communalism and it is anti-individualism in the same way the African family system operates. Through the historical cultural materialist approach this paper argues that the “empire” (imperial states) disrupted, dismembered and destroyed the pristine African family institution through its pervasive tool; “the cross” and its willing agents. The cross (church/temple or Christianity) and its agents criminalised the communal family for the individualistic idealistic family. Individualism is not an African value, it is a foreign model and as such foreign models will not work to the expectations of Africans. Among other causes, the cross, through cultural hegemony gave birth to the “small house” in Zimbabwe. The church is an anti-structure institution to the Zimbabwean communal kinship system. It is the argument of this paper that the cross was developed and deployed to criminalise, shame and stigmatize the African family or kinship values (among them polygamy) resulting in nefarious clandestine legitimation of an illegitimate Western construct “small house”. A family is ideologically unique and as such the conception of a family with regard to the religion of the empire is individualistic as its Christian religious ideology is. The paper goes behind the present through solely focusing on the historical cultural and material conditions that led to the genesis, growth and development of the ‘small house’ in Zimbabwe as an offspring of the church. This chapter concludes by arguing that the small house is a genetically modified institution of the church.

Relational tensions, narrative, and materiality: intergenerational communication in families with undocumented immigrant parents

ABSTRACTThis research explores the competing discourses and relational tensions that emerge in intergenerational communication in immigrant families with undocumented parents through in-depth interviews with undocumented Latino/a parents and their children living in New York City. Through the articulation of three themes, we illustrate how material realities affiliated with a lack of legal status incite unique discursive tensions in family relationships that manifest in family narratives. This study lends scholarly insight into the ways undocumented immigrants and their families communicatively navigate their uncertain life terrain through conversation about immigration status, conflicting career dreams, and hybrid cultural values. Using these findings as guidance, we offer practical applications related to communal coping and family advocacy for professionals and volunteers working in immigrant-serving community organizations.

Transformación en el modo de subsistencia (Livelihood), de familias comuneras en el marco de la presencia y actuación de Inkabor y los proyectos de desarrollo de la Reserva Nacional Salinas Aguada Blanca

Privilegiando el gobierno peruano, el desarrollo como factor económico indispensable en el mejoramiento de las condiciones económicas de los más necesitados en el ámbito rural, se ha creado una ola de transformaciones dentro del sistema de subsistencia en las comunidades rurales, las cuales han generado una mayor pobreza y sobre todo situaciones inequitativas de vida entre los comuneros. La subsistencia basada en la producción y consumo de las familiascomuneras, gira en torno a la unidad domestica y la zona de producción; tiene como factores para su permanencia y reproducción el proceso de combinar elementos andinos como la reciprocidad, la redistribución, el equilibrio y control de pisos ecológicos; mediante formas particulares que responden a sus propios contextos, donde se dan interactuaciones, articulaciones y dinámicas propias; además de asumir elementos foráneos como el sistema mercantilista(siglo XIX) que permitió conjugarlo, adaptarse y seguir reproduciendo la subsistencia. Los impactos “desarrollistas” tanto en la minería como los proyectos de desarrollo, han generado una transformación en la subsistencia y en la representaciones de las comunidades altoandinas ya que estas se han articulado mediante el trabajo o prestación de servicios a las mineras y en otros caso han asumido los proyectos de desarrollo que han cambiado sus orientaciones ypercepciones en torno a la producción y consumo. La comunidad Salinas Huito se encuentra enmarcado en esta transformación, primeramente de ser una sociedad pastoril paso hacer una comunidad campesina, que al ser parte de la Reserva Nacional Salinas Aguada Blanca, tuvo impactos de proyectos para ser sostenible esta ANP; además, el ingreso de la minera INKABOR, permitió su articulación mediante la prestación de servicios y bienes a esta empresa, lo que condujo a una radical transformación en el modo de subsistencia tradicional. Justamente esta investigación trata de reconocer estas transformaciones en el seno de las familias comuneras, además de evidenciar las nuevas representaciones que han provocado estos impactos, en sus formas de vida, orientaciones, símbolos y diferenciaciones al interior de la comunidad, además de presentar una “nueva familia comunera”, donde la ciudad-campo es indiferenciado, que busca la producción y reproducción del modo de subsistencia, de manera permanente.

Communally breeding female Barn Owls Tyto alba are not related and do not invest similarly in the communal family

ABSTRACTWe report detailed information about relatedness and parental investment in a communal nest in the Barn Owl Tyto alba. Two unrelated females laid their eggs in a single nest cup and successfully raised 4 nestlings out of 11 laid eggs. Apparently, the yearling female did not incubate the eggs and only occasionally hunted for the brood, in contrast to the older female which invested more effort in parental care.

Communal Orientation, Benefit-finding, and Coping among Young Carers

A substantial body of research documents the impact of informal care on adult caregivers’ wellbeing, but little is known of the experiences of young carers who attend postsecondary schools in Canada. Despite the estimated 1.25 million young people ages 15–24 assuming caregiving roles in Canada, young carers are a hidden and largely unsupported demographic in Canada. To gain a better understanding of young caregiving in Canada, the current study explores the role of communal orientation, benefit-finding, life satisfaction, and family satisfaction among young student carers. Further, we examine the mediating role of diverse coping strategies to better understand how communal orientation may be associated with wellbeing. One hundred and thirty-seven participants were recruited from two Canadian universities, and data were collected through online surveys. Results showed that while communal orientation and the use of coping strategies were positively associated with benefit finding, communal orientation was negatively associated with life satisfaction and family satisfaction. Use of instrumental support mediated the association of communal orientation with benefit finding. The findings suggest a communal orientation may help young carers find benefit in the caregiving role by enhancing the use of instrumental support coping strategies.

Rethinking Racine v Woods from a Decolonizing Perspective: Challenging the Applicability of Attachment Theory to Indigenous Families Involved with Child Protection

AbstractThe 1983 case Racine v Woods is the leading child protection case from the Supreme Court of Canada, distinguishing bonding and/or attachment as a more important determinant of best interest for an Indigenous child than cultural connection. Using this case, courts are upholding the permanent placement of Indigenous children in non-Indigenous homes as opposed to placement within their culture. Racine v Woods reflected knowledge of attachment and family at that time but runs counter to current knowledge. Reconsideration of the factors to decide cross-cultural adoption is needed. The essential point is that attachment assessment draws from a dyadic relational theory and is being applied to communal family systems, such as Indigenous systems. Such a review is consistent with the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as well as its predecessor, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP), and recent Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) decisions.

Milk and milk products consumption pattern, preference and purchase behaviour in communal areas of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa

A study was carried out between June 2014 and May 2015 using a pre-tested structured questionnaire and face to face interviews to characterize the consumption pattern, preference and purchase behaviour of milk and milk products in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. A multi-stage area probability sampling was used to select five hundred households from five districts within the Eastern Cape Province (100 from each district). The data was analysed using the IBM, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. The communal average family size in the province was between 5-10 members with a monthly income of ZAR1340 per household. The monthly mean of raw milk consumption pattern was (2.196± 1.423) 2-5 litres of cattle milk, (4.780±0.785) 2-5 litres of goat milk and (4.980±0.692) 2-5 litres of sheep milk per household. Pasteurised milk was found to be the most regularly consumed and preferred milk product with an average consumption of 4.78±0.84 litres per household per month. Monthly cattle milk product consumption were 0.5 kg-1 kg of powdered milk and 2-5 litres of sour milk. Household composition and consumer preference were (P<0.05) significantly the primary reasons for the consumption of milk and milk products. The standard price for milk and milk products ranged from R8.50-R9.50 per litre of fresh milk, R7.50-R8.50 per litre of sour milk, R33.00-R35 kg of powdered milk and R11.50-R12.50 litre of pasteurised milk. The study concluded that socio-demographic characteristics such as household size, household composition, gender of the household head and marital status greatly affected consumption patterns of milk and milk products in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Identifying Barriers and Enablers in the Dietary Management of Type 2 Diabetes in M'Bour, Senegal.

The purpose of this study was to identify cultural enablers and barriers to dietary management of type 2 diabetes in M'Bour, Senegal. This qualitative study used the PEN-3 cultural model to explore diabetes dietary management within a cultural framework. Content analysis identified emergent themes based on the PEN-3 model. Forty-one individuals completed interviews. Themes reflecting ways that culture affects adherence to the diabetic diet included (a) having a different diet or eating separately from the communal family plate creates feelings of social isolation; (b) forgoing the diabetic diet sometimes occurs so that family members have enough food; (c) reducing servings of traditional foods feels like abandoning culture; and (d) women being responsible for preparing food, while men typically manage money for purchasing food yet do not provide input on what food is purchased. Results suggest that educating family units on the dietary management of diabetes may be more effective than individual education.

The early Soviet family in the documents of the All-Russia Communist Party Census of 1922

Communist ideology transformed the size, functions, structure and legal foundations of the family in Soviet Russia. There were objective and subjective factors which brought about active reforms of the family in the 1920s: the objective factors involved the modernization processes in the society, while the subjective ones were conscious attempts to construct the family institution in accordance with the idealized concept of the future society. The 1920s family reform generated multiple family types, shaped in particular by ideological concepts and beliefs. This paper analyzes the data from a unique source, the All-Russia Communist Party Census of 1922, which provides information about the number of people and the ratio of workers to dependents in Party members’ families. Party members constituted the social group which was the most susceptible to ideology, which renders their family structure particularly interesting. These data also reflect the general trends in the early Soviet society and their scale. We put a special emphasis on the analysis of new family forms such as communal family, ‘revolutionary’ family, and so on.

A Record of Communal Nesting in the Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

ABSTRACT We report a unique case of two female Barn Owls laying eggs and incubating together in a single nest cup in a communal nest. A trio of two females and one male bred in an abandoned water tower in 2013 in Israel. Both females incubated/brooded together in the communal nest, and all three individuals brought food to the communal family. The two females laid 20 eggs, of which 19 hatched and 16 fledged.

Feeding the Communal Family: “Family Time” and the Division of Household Labor in Cohousing

Gathering around the dinner table is a strongly-held value in American culture (Kremer-Sadlik, Fatigante, and Fasulo, 2008) and many positive effects of have been documented in the literature (Davidson and Gauthier, 2010). At the same expectations about dinner can exacerbate the pressure on dual-career couples already in a bind (Hochschild, 1997), and add stress to their marriages as women, especially working mothers, are more likely to feel overwhelmed by and unappreciated for these labors (Spitze and Loscocco, 2000). Yet most families, with some variation based on structure and resources, mother's employment, and functioning, do make to eat together (Davidson and Gauthier, 2010). However, the quantity of spent at the dinner table has been in steady decline (Schor, 2005) despite its significance as a key activity for family time (Gutierrez, Price, and Arnould, 2008).The notion of is closely related to the concept of time, both of which have received increased attention in response to the extensive growth in labor force participation among middle-class mothers (DeVault 2000). This attention couples concern that parents are not spending enough with their children, with a romanticized vision of the past and an idealized image of the (Kremer-Sadlik et al, 2008) where are cast as positive experiences central to preservation (Price, 2008, p. 189). In addition, the cultural pressure to achieve idealized experiences of quality can add to stress (Kremer-Sadlik and Paugh, 2007) and the reality of dinner may more closely resemble a 6 o'clock crash (Larson and Richards, 1994), fraught with conflict and fatigue (Gutierrez et al, 2008). Through an examination of communal in cohousing, a form of intentional community, this article explores the tension between the notion of the dinner as and the opportunity for redistributing, and balancing by gender, mealtime household labor.Cohousing communities are resident-developed and managed cooperative neighborhoods where privately-owned (or less often, rented), self-sufficient household units are clustered around a with shared facilities including a dining room for meals and assorted other amenities such as a children's play area, teen room, laundry, exercise space, and/or guest rooms (McCamant and Durrett, 1994; Meltzer, 2005). They typically range in size from fifteen to forty household units. Cohousing, a Danish model, was introduced in the United States in 1988 and has grown rapidly. Today there are over 100 established (i.e. built and occupied) cohousing communities in the United States and more on the way with over 100 other groups working on new projects.[1]The common house is the heart of the community where members come together to dine, share childcare, socialize, and hold meetings. Each home is self-sufficient with a complete kitchen, but many evenings community dinners are available in the common house with residents taking turns at cooking and clean-up. Common dinners play a significant role in attracting people to cohousing. Cohousers cite both social (e.g. friendship, sense of community) and instrumental (e.g. reducing individual household labor, balancing the gendered division of household labor) functions of common as motivations for pursuing a cohousing lifestyle. This article will: 1) explore the extent to which these expectations regarding common are realized, 2) examine the related tension between community participation and in one cohousing community, and 3) analyze the extent to which communalizing helps redistribute and balance household labor by gender. Social and Instrumental Functions of Communal Life Above all, people live in cohousing because they want to live with others who are also intentionally choosing to live in community. …

Latina/o Families: Solidarity and the Common Good

����� ��� Solidarity is a key virtue in Christian family ethics. Emphasizing the institutional and practical dimensions of this principle, this essay claims that inter- and intrafamily solidarity are critical aspects of a Christian family ethics emanating from Latina/o theological anthropology and family practices. Interfamily solidarity, exemplified by the Latina/o family practice of extended communal family, emphasizes the integral dynamic between family solidarity and the common good. Intrafamily solidarity simultaneously critiques abusive dynamics in Latina/o families while asserting the necessary dialectic between individual and familial flourishing. This articulation of family solidarity asserts a robust role for extended communal families in fostering cooperation across difference in civic life.

Communal identity, political Islam and family law: Copts and the debate over the grounds for dissolution of marriage in twentieth-century Egypt

This article follows the debate over the legal grounds for dissolution of marriage within the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox community during the twentieth century, situating this debate in broader religious, political, social and legal perspectives. In 1999, the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Shenouda III (r. 1971–) promoted a new draft of unified personal status law for Christians, which considerably limited the grounds for dissolution of marriage. He justified the new draft by claiming that the grounds included in the 1938 Coptic Orthodox personal status code were not supported by Christian scriptures and were adopted by Coptic Orthodox lay leaders of the time, who were inspired by Islamic reformist legislation, to suit their desires and lust. I argue that the 1938 Code was not innovative and that it relied on medieval Coptic Orthodox legal treatises. Patriarch Shenouda's restrictive interpretation of the grounds for divorce was motivated by his desire to invigorate communal identity and cohesion in the face of the strengthening of political Islam in Egypt. More generally, this article demonstrates how legal means and policies are used in the contexts of intra-communal and inter-communal struggles.

Advances in soil physics: Application in irrigation and dryland crop production

This is the third soil physics review to be published in South African Journal of Plant and Soil. In the previous reviews the focus was broad and covered almost every aspect of the subject, providing a comprehensive list of contributions in soil physics. For the 25th year anniversary celebration of South African Journal of Plant and Soil, I have chosen to narrow the scope and focus on advances in soil physics in relation to irrigation and dryland agriculture. From a bio-physical viewpoint, South African researchers have made a major contribution to the body of scientific knowledge about irrigation and its application, expressed mainly in the form of irrigation or crop models such as PUTU, SWB and BEWAB. Attention was also given to modern ways of irrigation scheduling based on continuous soil water monitoring. Several irrigation scheduling service providers have adapted their businesses accordingly, with the result that South Africa is probably the leading country in Africa with respect to soil water monitoring and associated communication technology. In contrast, the review has shown that at farm and irrigation scheme level, salt management requires urgent attention. This is necessary as a precautionary measure to protect our natural resources. In the second part of the review the contribution of soil physics in relation to tillage practices is explored, and in particular how these have modified the field water balance components in order to enhance yield and rain water productivity. Based on the results of field experiments, new relationships were established, viz. rainfall and maize yield; water storage and yield; runoff and surface coverage by crop residue mulches; tillage depth, texture and yield relationships. Lastly, the review also showed how the water balance on clay and duplex soils in semi-arid zones can be modified through in-field rainwater harvesting to increase their rain water productivity. This technology has enhanced the livelihoods of many communal families who have applied the technique in their homesteads.

The Family Behavior of California Quail: A Molecular Analysis

AbstractDuring the breeding season, California Quail (Callipepla californica) form two types of groups: those with a single associated adult female (single family groups), and those with more than one associated female (communal family groups). Although single family groups are assumed to be the result of a monogamous pairing of the associated male and female, additional males often associate with these groups. I conducted a preliminary investigation of the genetic relationship among the adults and young in California Quail families using three single-locus microsatellite markers. Both male and female adults were excluded as being the parents of some proportion of the associated young. Females had higher exclusion rates in communal than in single families, while there was no difference for males. A limited number of young were excluded from being the offspring of any of the adults associated with their family. In the first of three study years, adults were more related to one another in families than they were to the population; this relationship disappeared in subsequent years, possibly as a result of disturbance on site. These results suggest that families form, in part, as a result of factors other than direct genetic parentage. These factors might include selection for increasing group size, intermittent kin selection, and proximate factors related to the gregarious behavior of California Quail.

THE FAMILY BEHAVIOR OF CALIFORNIA QUAIL: A MOLECULAR ANALYSIS

Abstract During the breeding season, California Quail (Callipepla californica) form two types of groups: those with a single associated adult female (single family groups), and those with more than one associated female (communal family groups). Although single family groups are assumed to be the result of a monogamous pairing of the associated male and female, additional males often associate with these groups. I conducted a preliminary investigation of the genetic relationship among the adults and young in California Quail families using three single-locus microsatellite markers. Both male and female adults were excluded as being the parents of some proportion of the associated young. Females had higher exclusion rates in communal than in single families, while there was no difference for males. A limited number of young were excluded from being the offspring of any of the adults associated with their family. In the first of three study years, adults were more related to one another in families than the...

Changing Views on Family Diversity in Urban Korea

This study, based on a survey of 999 respondents in-Seoul, Korea, examines the degree to which respondents accept diverse family structures and explores the factors predicting acceptance of family diversity. The results show that the intact nuclear family is accepted as the typical normal family in urban Korea. On the contrary, the communal family, extended kin living together, homosexual couples, single households, and one’s ancestors are not viewed as families. Overall, the respondents demonstrate moderate levels of acceptance of family diversity. People who are older, more educated, female, and have more family income are more likely to accept family diversity than their counterparts. Respondents from more traditional family backgrounds are less likely to accept family diversity. The conclusions and implications of these findings are discussed.

Changing urban housing form and organization in Nigeria: lessons for community planning

There has been very little research interest in historically changing patterns of urban housing form and organization and the quality of life experienced by ordinary people in designed settings. This is despite the arguments of humanistic geographers and contemporary environmental psychologists that the behavioural and socio‐cultural aspects of built form imbue environments with meanings and help to create a sense of place. This paper focuses on the development of housing forms in Nigerian cities, including the cultural motifs and the economic circumstances that have shaped their evolution over time. The analysis of pre‐colonial traditional housing forms at the core of cities is presented first followed by an appraisal of newer developments at the suburbs that were stimulated by colonial and post‐colonial market‐driven economies. Drawing on the divergent examples of the transition from traditional to modern urban housing forms, the paper reveals that social changes, particularly the shift from traditional communal family values to more Western ways of life, have had variegated impacts on building forms and residential layouts. One of these is inhabitants’ alienation from the urban environment and the seeming identification with home places of origin outside the city. The paper argues that while this situation poses a major challenge to urban planning in post‐colonial Nigeria, professional planning practice seems to have demonstrated little interest in what people think or feel about places. Ways in which new housing forms may be organized and incorporated into future programmes of urban development to promote communal belonging to Nigerian cities are articulated.