The Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities (Web), The Zvi Yavetz School of Historical Studies (Web)

Time: January 2-4, 2018
Venue: Tel Aviv, Israel
Proposals due 15 June 2017

With the rise of the modern nation-state, the interest in the family as an institution and in its functions in modern life expanded as well. Rulers, bureaucrats, revolutionaries, writers, and readers all looked to mobilize families and individual family members to their goals. Approaches to the family varied greatly: some perceived it as the torchbearer of traditional values and practices that must be protected from new perceptions of self and society; others saw it as a site for the promotion of social and cultural reforms. The family was presented as the solution to all kinds of problems, from issues of health and sexuality to questions of controlling populations, winning wars and maintaining and enhancing economic production.

Gender was an essential part of every approach to the family, as each of these approaches entailed a different understanding of masculinity and femininity and their role in society. Such approaches did not stop in the borders of the nation-states, particularly with the rise of modern imperialism, colonialism and migration. Around the world, men, women and children continued to live, produce and reproduce … read more and source (Web).