All in the Family

On Community and Incommensurability

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Feminism & Feminist Theory, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory
Cover of the book All in the Family by Kennan Ferguson, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kennan Ferguson ISBN: 9780822395102
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: June 19, 2012
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Kennan Ferguson
ISBN: 9780822395102
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: June 19, 2012
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

Western political philosophers since Plato have used the family as a model for harmonious political and social relations. Yet, far from being an uncontentious domain for shared interests and common values, the family is often the scene of intense interpersonal conflict and disagreement. In All in the Family, the political theorist Kennan Ferguson reconsiders the family, in its varied forms, as an exemplar of democratic politics and suggests how real rather than idealized family dynamics can help us to better understand and navigate political conflict.

By closely observing the attachments that arise in families despite profound disagreements and incommensurabilities, Ferguson argues, we can imagine a political engagement that accommodates radical differences without sacrificing community. After examining how the concept of the family has been deployed and misused in political philosophy, Ferguson turns to the ways in which families actually operate: the macropolitical significance of family coping strategies such as silence and the impact that disability and caregiving have on conceptions of spatiality, sameness, and disparity. He also considers the emotional attachment between humans and their pets as an acknowledgment that compassion and community can exist even under conditions of profound difference.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Western political philosophers since Plato have used the family as a model for harmonious political and social relations. Yet, far from being an uncontentious domain for shared interests and common values, the family is often the scene of intense interpersonal conflict and disagreement. In All in the Family, the political theorist Kennan Ferguson reconsiders the family, in its varied forms, as an exemplar of democratic politics and suggests how real rather than idealized family dynamics can help us to better understand and navigate political conflict.

By closely observing the attachments that arise in families despite profound disagreements and incommensurabilities, Ferguson argues, we can imagine a political engagement that accommodates radical differences without sacrificing community. After examining how the concept of the family has been deployed and misused in political philosophy, Ferguson turns to the ways in which families actually operate: the macropolitical significance of family coping strategies such as silence and the impact that disability and caregiving have on conceptions of spatiality, sameness, and disparity. He also considers the emotional attachment between humans and their pets as an acknowledgment that compassion and community can exist even under conditions of profound difference.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book Making the Most of Mess by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book Protecting American Health Care Consumers by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book Shock Therapy by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book Masculinity Besieged? by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book Encoding Race, Encoding Class by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book My Tibetan Childhood by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book Global Indigenous Media by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book I'm Neither Here nor There by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book Machiavelli by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book New Deal Modernism by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book Chocolate and Other Writings on Male Homoeroticism by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book The United States and the Genocide Convention by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book The American 1890s by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book The Professional Guinea Pig by Kennan Ferguson
Cover of the book Lucchesi and The Whale by Kennan Ferguson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy