Suchergebnisse

The figure of the missing child is a recurrent and highly visible feature of past and present culture, not only the concern of extensive reporting in the media but also a frequent motif in the cinema, theatre, popular fiction and autobiographical memoirs. This article is focused on the ways in which British feature films of the 1950s and 1960s portrayed the experiences of losing a child through kidnap or abduction, exploring in particular how mothers were represented. Through an examination of the complex and contradictory discourses through which motherhood and the maternal role were constituted in these films, the article considers what they reveal about the shifting meanings of the mother–child relationship and the dynamics of gender relations in the home and post-war society more generally. The films discussed are Lost (1956), Tomorrow at Ten (1962) and Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964).

This paper examines the value of photography walking tours for exploring meanings and experiences of community. The work is part of a larger visual research project which sought to examine the everyday lives of residents in a neighbourhood identified as 'disadvantaged', with the tour being organized as an opportunity for residents to identify what they valued about their local environment and what they considered to be problematic. The dynamics involved in gathering this photographic record are one element of the discussion as is analysis of the ways in which the participants constructed and re-constructed their sense of community through the different examples they selected for photographing. The paper is thus concerned with the ways in which visual data bring different insights to understandings of which practices, services and resources are embedded in meanings of community in working-class neighbourhoods and, in turn, how such data might have value for informing policy and practice about the experiences of inequality in contemporary England.

This article investigates how, during the 1950s, English legislative reform relating to the issues of affiliation, adoption, and legitimacy was influential in redefining the rights and responsibilities of parental relationships that lay outside and across the boundaries of marriage. The problems and debates that arose from the implementation of these reforms are used to illustrate the centrality that the ideals of monogamous marriage and the nuclear family had in the conceptualization of such relationships. They are also drawn upon to demonstrate the contradictions and paradoxes that arose from attempts to define the meaning of parenthood for mothers and fathers not attached through a marital relationship.

Intro -- Foreword -- References -- Preface -- Politics and policy -- Relationship trends and experiences -- Research impact and the dissemination of findings -- References -- Series Editors' Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- 1: Introduction -- Researching couple relationships -- Demographic and policy contexts -- Academic contexts -- Socio-cultural contexts -- Couple practices -- The book -- Notes -- References -- 2: Relationship Work -- Gifts and thoughtful gestures -- Household chores and childcare -- Cooking -- Couple time -- Home comforts -- Notes -- References -- 3: Communication -- Talking and listening -- Relating to each other -- Online and off-track -- Deep knowing, beyond words -- Differences, arguments and reflexive bickering -- Laughter, humour and banter -- The relations of love and loving relations -- Notes -- References -- 4: Sex and Intimacy -- Engendering intimacy -- The in/significance of sex -- Sex and parenting -- Making space for intimacy -- Ageing bodies and relationship duration -- Notes -- References -- 5: Unsettling Coupledom -- Parenting -- Pets -- Cultural difference -- Non-monogamies -- Friends -- Couple display -- Notes -- References -- 6: Conclusion -- Time and the mundane nature of relationship work -- The meanings of love in contemporary times -- Communication and the importance of home -- Conclusion -- References -- Appendix 1: Researching Couples' Long- Term Relationships -- Researching couples' long-term relationships -- Online survey -- Qualitative design and methods -- Appendix 2: Tables -- Bibliography -- Index.

Couple Relationships in the 21st Century presents an incisive and engaging account of love, intimacy and personal life in contemporary Western society. The authors draw on rich qualitative and large-scale survey data to explore how couples communicate with each other, negotiate the pressures and pleasures of parenthood, and the vagaries of sexual desire and intimacy across life course. Focusing on 'the everyday', this book unpicks the ordinary and often mundane relationship work that goes into sustaining a relationship over time, breaking down the dichotomy between enduring relationships of quality and good enough or endured relationships. It contests the separation of couples into distinct relationship types defined through age, parenthood or sexuality. Looking through the lens of relationship practices it is clear that there is no 'normal couple': couples are what couples do. Providing an invaluable critical insight on contemporary experiences of coupledom, this book will be essential reading for scholars and students, clinicians working in couple and family therapy, or those simply interested in couple relationships and how they work.