De sociologie en het reproduktieve zelf. Demografische transities en moderniteit

Samenvatting

Sociology and the Reproductive Self: Demographic Transitions and Modernity. Outlines key demographic debates over the history of fertility decline to illustrate the basic significance of reproductive behavior in the formation of Western societies. Rather than viewing the relationship between demography and sociology as one where sociological theory is used to shed light on demographic issues, an attempt is made to develop a demographic perspective on sociological understanding of contemporary society and its historical progression. The idea of the reproductive self, emphasizing the transcendence of human identity over time and generations, is advanced in lieu of the view of human identity as self-contained, timeless, and independent. This allows one to see that a range of transformations usually viewed as recent phenomena -- eg, changing gender identities, family-work conflict, and women's increasing participation in the paid labor force -- are actually essential components of modern Western culture, politics, economics, and social structures. 180 References. Adapted from the source document.