This article argues that the sociology of contemporary family relationships should be developed to recognize the importance of ‘displaying’ as well as ‘doing’ family. The addition of the concept of ‘display’ to the sociological tool kit is not only a necessary complement to the important conceptual developments which have taken place in recent years, but is also rich in its potential for further empirical and theoretical work. In developing this theme, the article examines empirical evidence from recent UK studies of family relationships, exploring why ‘display’ is important in contemporary family relationships as well as the process through which it occurs. The article represents an initial exploration of these themes. The author's principal aim is to open up this aspect of family life for debate within the relevant sociological research community, encouraging others to refine the concept as well as to use it.

This research note describes the use of vignettes in the author's current survey of beliefs about family obligations, and discusses the potential of the technique for eliciting survey data of a normative kind. Comparisons are made between different ways of using vignettes in British and American surveys concerned with beliefs and norms.

No abstract

The article presents an exploratory analysis of the significance of personal names in contemporary Western societies, the UK in particular. Names are seen as having the dual character of denoting the individuality of the person, and also marking social connections.The focus is particularly on kinship, and the ways in which names can be, and are, used to map family connections as well as to identify unique individuals.The author argues that both surnames and forenames can serve to ground the individual within family relationships, though the extent to which this is used actively can vary. In turn the way in which names and naming are used within the family context sheds light upon contemporary kinship, with its enduring and variable dimensions. Additional empirical exploration of names and naming could further illuminate its characteristics.

No abstract