Social Change And Family Processes

Book excerpt: In this book, Majid Al-Haj analyzes the structure of family kinship groups, the role of women, and fertility among several Arab subcommunities in Israel. He combines historical materials, anthropological evidence, and several major surveys in tracing family and demographic patterns in a developing Arab community. This study is the first to compare Moslems, Christians, and Druze over time in the same community and to integrate issues of modernization and population for minorities. Particular attention is given to the analysis of "internal refugees" among Moslems, the separation of structural from cultural determinants of family patterns, and the distinction between behavior and norms associated with family lifestyles. This volume represents a fascinating case study of an Arab town in the transition to modernity under the conditions of changing layers of minority status in Israeli society. Moreover, the author addresses broader issues of modernization and demographic change characterizing the Middle East and other developing areas of the world where minority ethnic conflict and population processes are intertwined.