Summary
People in American society have been changing the way they live in a variety of ways since World War II. In this paper (and in greater detail in my dissertation) I am arguing that lesbians are one group of people who are creating new kinds of relationships in which we live our daily lives, and which we call family. These include changes in spousal and parental relationships and in kinship networks. As an anthropologist I see myself documenting these changes as they occur. Obviously the project is not completed. This paper represents an intermediate stage in my research, as I begin to see some patterns emerge and to construct my conceptualization of the project.
My research has significance to people outside of anthropology, most notably lesbian rights attorneys who are advocating the recognition of our relationships by the legal system, and psychotherapists who are helping lesbians deal with the emotional stress of living outside of the social structure. I hope that they can both learn something from my research and contribute to my understanding. I see my work as not only academic, but would like it to contribute to the movement for lesbian rights, and to help individual women to find peace and happiness in their lives.
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Additional information
My research has been partially funded by a grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research and the Graduate Scholarship in Lesbian Studies from the National Women’s Studies Association-Naiad Press.
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Riley, C. American kinship: A lesbian account. Feminist Issues 8, 75–94 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02685599
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02685599