Family and Nation in America

Abstract

Public narratives regarding what constitutes a ‘healthy family’ change over time and are closely linked with national history and contingent needs. This essay analyses the interdependence between the American family and the nation from the 1950s to the emergence of the so-called pluralist family in the 1960s and 1970s, up to the revival of family values from the 1980s to the present. It exemplifies how the connection between family and nation tends to strengthen during circumstances of danger, such as wars and economic crises, and to weaken when multiple familial setups are considered.