Abstract
In order to be part of the socio-political dialogue within Europe, anthropologists have to address questions which are policy relevant. In this paper, I examine under which epistemological and methodological conditions the study of kinship – a core topic of the discipline – can become useful in the debates regarding family changes in contemporary Europe. Next to large statistical databases that delineate gross divergences and convergences in family trends, the anthropological gaze helps explain various lifemodes. As part of this scheme, an ongoing programme aiming at comparing kinship interactions in various European countries, KASS (Kinship andSocial Security) is presented.
Keywords
kinship, Europe, policies, comparatism
How to Cite
Segalen, M., (2008) “Grand Questions and Small-Scale Ethnographies.”, Ethnologia Europaea 38(1), 50-55. doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/ee.1034
Publisher Notes
- This article was previously published by Museum Tusculanum Press.