De la famille à l'entourage

With the growing number of separations, stepfamilies and couples who «live apart together», the family territory is no longer confined to a single home. The plural family now inhabits a geographical living space of variable size.

It is important to explore this space as it sheds lights on the dynamics of affective ties developed over time. Because family contours have become less sharp, and because individuals now occupy multiple spaces, investigations must be extended to cover the interpersonal relationships built up over the life course and their spatial locations.

To address these combined objectives, the concept of «contact circle» (entourage) was developed as a more appropriate framework for capturing family realities and family dynamics in time and space. The combined analysis of family and residential dynamics placed in a historical and intergenerational context offers an opportunity to examine the family and housing from an original angle and to interpret modern urban and family transformations in a whole new way.

This book provides an overview of research based on the Biographies et entourage (Event histories and contact circle) survey conducted by INED in 2001 on a representative sample of residents of the Paris region born between 1930 and 1950. It brings together texts published between 1995 and 2009, along with previously unpublished material, providing readers with a comprehensive overview of research in this area.

Focus on : The Biographies et Entourage survey [Event histories and contact circle]: an assessment 10 years later