Family Fragments?

This book investigates in a most original way the moral complexities of divorce and its legal regulation under postmodernity. By analysing the moral reasoning of divorced parents in a profound and respectful manner, Smart and Neale not only demonstrate the moral competency of parents during and after divorce, they also provide us with a highly original contribution to the ongoing discussion on the ethic of care and how to investigate it. A must for everybody involved in the politics of family law, and for scholars and practitioners interested in ethics. Selma Sevenhuijsen, Professor of Women s Studies, University of Utrecht

A sensitive and original analysis of the way we think about family life, bringing together the ideal of Giddens, Beck and Beck Gernsheim with the words of a group of parents experiencing post-divorce parenting. The book is beautifully written and intellectually crafted - both a delight to read and a real step forward in thinking about parenting as distinct from partnership. Dr Mavis Maclean, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Wolfson College, University of Oxford

Smart and Neale have produced a book of major significance to our understanding of family relationships, especially in situations where a divorce has occurred. The book is a fine example of the best kind of sociology: clearly articulated theory, empirical data used carefully to interrogate that theory, both theory and data linked to some very practical questions about family law. The book is one of the most important publications on family life in the last twenty years. Professor Janet Finch, Vice-Chancellor of Keele University

Family Fragments? is a sensitive and insightful study. Smart and Neale emphasise the fluidity, diversity and ambiguity of post-divorce relationships. They treat their subjects as active, reflexive and moral social beings and emphasize the negotiation of commitments. They provide an incisive and helpful account of recent family theorizing as well as of legislative challenge. The Times Higher Education Supplement

This important new book treads the complex and contested terrain of parenting after divorce ... Family Fragments will be of interest to researchers across disciplines working in the field of family studies as well as parents negotiating the new discursive and legal frameworks of "family practices". Journal of Family Studies