Recent years have seen a concern with how family and community relationships have changed across the generations, whether for better or worse, and particularly how they have been affected by social and economic developments. But how can we think about and research the nature of the present in relation to the past and vice versa?

Researching Families and Communities: Social and Generational Change explores the concepts and perspectives that guide research and the methods used to explore change during the last half of the twentieth century and into the new millennium. It highlights the complexities of continuities alongside change, the importance of the perspectives that shape investigation, and the need to engage with situated data. This edited text includes contributions from experts in their field who:

• address these overarching trends
• explore the possibilities and practice of secondary analysis or replication studies, as well as longitudinal large scale data sets
• discuss varied aspects of family and community life, including sexuality, ethnicity, parenting resources, older people, intergenerational family life, solo living and many others.

This book will appeal to academics and students interested in family and community across a range of social science disciplines, and to those in the social research field.

Rosalind Edwards is Professor in Social Policy and Director of the Families & Social Capital Research Group at London South Bank University. She has researched and published widely in the field of family studies.