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Prolegomena for a Sociological Study of the Chinese Family in Indigenous Terms

Shih Hsin University, Taipei, Taiwan

HERNÁN VERA

University of Florida, Gainesville

FELIX M. BERARDO

University of Florida, Gainesville

We examine the Chinese family from an indigenous perspective. Starting from the meanings conveyed by the ideograms in the Chinese language, we analyze 4 different concepts into which the English term and sociological notion of family can be translated. Then, we examine the physical and ideological structures on which the ideograms are based. Our analysis reveals that the Chinese family has similarities with what in the West is called lineage and tribe, having complicated functions in politics, economics, and religion. Chinese views of family are related to a worldview that emphasizes continuity of being, which results in the distinctive emphasis on ancestor worship. Accompanying industrialization and urbanization, the Chinese in Taiwan have made adjustments to preserve the ideal of a joint family type and the equal obligation to support parents among sons, rather than moving toward a conjugal system, as W. J. Goode (1970) predicted.

Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 20, No. 6, 789-806 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/019251399020006004


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