Description of Conference
Over the past decade there has been a dramatic increase in social science scholarship on such topics as the end of universal marriage, causes of marital instability, delayed entry into marriage, delayed entry into marriage following divorce, non-marital births, and cohabitation. Considering the meanings of non-marital unions allows us to critically assess long-held theoretical assumptions about families and households and lay the groundwork for future innovations in the framing of these important objects of study.
This symposium creates a unique opportunity for scholars of families and households to engage in dialogue around emerging theoretical frameworks, pioneering methods, and the challenges of study in the context of rising non-marital unions. Its goals are to foster multidisciplinary dialogue, and to prompt discussion on non-marital unions as an international category of analysis.
The “Rethinking Relationships” symposium is the exciting intellectual off-spring of the graduate student PSTC Working Group on Non-marital Unions. The graduate student leaders comprising the Symposium’s Organizing Committee have spearheaded, organized, and implemented every aspect of this event from fundraising to the selection of speakers. Our primary sponsor is the Population Studies Training Center. Additional support has been provided by the Graduate Student Council, the Department of Anthropology, and the Department of Sociology. Special thanks are extended to Dr. Daniel Smith in the Department of Anthropology.