bott: Lize-Anne

I found the research methods presented in this study to be particularly refreshing. Wheras many times researchers will simply ennumerate the limitations of their methods, Bott and Robb took on an endeavor to formulate appropriate research methods. This type of study is, I believe, where a true understanding of the continuity of the family and family networks develops. My issue with all of our readings is that the sources that our authors use to make certain generalizations and deductions about families comes from sources that were not intended for any type of sociological type of study. This is important to consider when thinking about family networks, or any question of family. The census may reveal that certain groups of people that are not traditional family are living together, but it gives us little to go on in terms of studying the interactions of these groups and how far they extend.
The findings of Bott and Robb, and their decision to employ specific research methods and questions and interviews are fascinating because they open up the study to fluidity and nuances of studying the family unit. How does one effectively study the bounds of family? How far do networks stretch (if in fact one can think about the structure in this manner)? To answer these questions, very open-ended methodology would also have to be employed, and an acknowledgment of what the preconceived ideas of family are and where they originate from are necessary. Only then can we begin to fill in the information that is provided by mass surveys like the census.