Black Kindreds: Parenthood and Personal Kindreds among Urban Blacks

Abstract

Concern with cross cultural study of kinship and the family has recently led to some new and useful categories for kinship analysis. The most important contribution is the framework proposed by Goodenough (1970) for defining sociological parenthood. A look at what urban blacks make of the chain of parentchild connections is a special eye opener to students of the black family. This study suggests “matrifocality” is a poor predictor of the variety of domestic strategies among urban blacks, and that native perceptions of jural parenthood can clarify the basis of the formation of personal kindreds and units of kin cooperation. This research focuses on urban family organization of second generation black welfare families who have migrated along the Illinois-Central line from Mississippi to Chicago.