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New Family Structures and New Domestic Groups

Code: 101245
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Social and Cultural Anthropology OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Jorge Grau Rebollo
Email :
jordi.grau@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

There is no prerequisite for this course, but it is recommended to have previously studied Anthropology of Kinship.

This course is mostly taught in Catalan.

Objectives

This elective course in the Bachelor’s Degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology belongs to the specialised areas of Culture and Society and focuses specifically on the study of changes occurring in kinship relations within our own sociocultural context.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Identify and compare the main typologies and theoretical debates concerning new forms of family organisation and the formation of new domestic groups.
  2. Critically situate these debates within the theoretical transformations of the anthropology of kinship and family studies in our sociocultural context.
  3. Relate new forms of family organisation and new domestic groups to the historical, social, and cultural contexts in which they emerge and develop.
  4. Critically analyse the impact of inequalities based on gender, social class, ethnicity, age, sexual and affective orientation, and other axes of social differentiation in shaping family and kinship relations.


Learning outcomes

  1. Analysing a contemporary fact from an anthropological perspective.
  2. Identifying the contemporary interdisciplinary tendencies shared by the Anthropology and social disciplines related to the corresponding field.
  3. Analysing data critically from anthropological investigations and reports.
  4. Explaining the work's results narratively in accordance with the critical standards of discipline and bearing in mind the different target audiences.
  5. Assessing critically the explicit and implicit theoretical models in the ethnographic materials.
  6. Identifying the sociocultural variability in specific ethnographic contexts.
  7. Explain the explicit or implicit code of practice of one's own area of knowledge.
  8. Propose projects and actions that incorporate the gender perspective.

Contents

  1. From the Theoretical Upheaval of the 1980s to New Approaches in Kinship Studies
  2. The Study of New Family Forms and New Domestic Groups: Approaches and Contexts
  3. Families and Emerging Forms of Relatedness, Caregiving, and Coexistence


Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Readings, document search and information analysis 32 1.28 1, 2, 3, 6
Tutorials (written and audiovisual essay) 6 0.24 1, 3, 4
Lectures 22 0.88 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Individual or team work 17 0.68 3, 4
Discussion on ethnographic production in different formats 5 0.2 1, 3, 4, 5
Written individual assignments 3 0.12 3, 5
Individual Study 38 1.52 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Group Debates 5 0.2 1, 2, 5

TRAINING ACTIVITIES

  • Theoretical lectures and guided sessions for group discussion and debate.
  • Analysis of documentation and audiovisual productions with ethnographic content.
  • Preparation and presentation of continuous group work.

TEACHING METHODOLOGY

  • Lectures supported by ICT tools.
  • Class debates.
  • Viewing and discussion of audiovisual materials and other multimedia productions.
  • Preparation of a group project based on provided guidelines.
  • Application of theoretical concepts to the analysis of ethnographic situations.
  • Development of outlines, concept maps, and source summaries.
  • Written examinations


Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Written text 1 25% 1.5 0.06 3, 5, 8
Group work (essay) 30% 19 0.76 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Written test 2 45% 1.5 0.06 1, 3, 4, 8

Continuous Assessment

This course is designed as a continuous assessment unit.

Assessment Structure

  • Written Test 1: Critical commentary on a text (25%)
  • Small-group project: On a specific family type. Detailed instructions will be provided on the Virtual Campus. (30%)
  • Written Test 2: Critical commentary on a case study presented by the teaching staff (45%)

Grade Review Procedure

At the time of each assessment activity, the lecturer will inform students (via Moodle) of the procedure and date for grade review.

“Not Assessable” Status

A student will receive a grade of "Not Assessed" if they have completed or submitted assessment activities accounting for 30% or less of the final course grade.

Resit

To be eligible for resit assessment, students must have completed assessment activities corresponding to at least two-thirds of the total course assessment.

All three assessment modules may be retaken. Students will only need to retake the failed module if the overall average grade for the course is below 5

Plagiarism or Academic Misconduct

Any irregularity committed by a student that may lead to a significant alteration of the grade in an assessment activity will result in a grade of 0 for that activity, regardless of any disciplinary procedure that may follow. If multiple irregularities occur in assessment activities for the same course, the final course grade will be 0.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI tools are permitted only for support tasks (e.g., bibliographic searches, proofreading, or translation).

Students must:

  • clearly identify the AI-generated parts,
  • specify which tools were used,
  • include a critical reflection on their use.

Lack of transparency regarding AI use will result in a grade of 0.

Exchange Students

Exchange students requesting an early examination must submit written documentation from their home university justifying the request.

Single Assessment (SA)

Students opting for single assessment must complete all required tasks in a single assessment session, consisting of:

  • Critical analysis and commentary of a text (25%)
  • Written examination covering course contents (45%)
  • Individual assignment on a family type based on an information dossier provided by the teaching staff (30%). Students will be required to:
  • Identify the family typology.
  • Analyse the defining characteristics of this family type.
  • Use theoretical concepts covered throughout the course to contextualise it historically, socially, and disciplinarily.
  • Respond to the questions formulated by the teaching staff in the exercise.

Due to the characteristics of single assessment, the duration of this assessment is expected to be no less than four hours, and it may therefore be scheduled at a time different from the usual class timetable.

Attendance (Single Assessment)

Opting for single assessment does not exempt students from attending class.

Grade Review Procedure (SA)

At the time of each assessment activity, the teaching staff will inform students (via Moodle) of the procedure and review dates.

Resit (SA)

To be eligible for resit assessment, students must have completed assessment activities corresponding to at least two-thirds of the total course assessment.

The reassessment for the course through continuous assessment consists of the same examinations as those used in the regular assessment under this modality.

“Not Assessable” Status (SA)

Students will receive a grade of “Not Assessable” if they have completed less than 30% of the assessment activities.

Plagiarism or Academic Misconduct (SA)

Any irregularity committed by a student that may lead to a significant alteration of the grade in an assessment activity will result in a grade of 0 for that activity, regardless of disciplinary proceedings.

If multiple irregularities occur in assessment activities for the same course, the final course grade will be 0.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Single Assessment

Allowed only for support tasks (bibliographic search, proofreading or translation). Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.



Bibliography

Course textbook:

Grau Rebollo, Jorge. (2016). Nuevas formas de familia. Ámbitos emergentes. Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra.

General references:

Álvarez, Cristina (2006) Múltiples maternidades y la insoportable levedad de la paternidad en reproducción humana asistida. Revista de Antropología Social. 15, pp. 411-415.

Bestard, Joan (coord.) (2012) Noves formes de família / Nuevas formas de familia. Metrópolis, cuaderno central. Publicació en línia: http://www.barcelonametropolis.cat/site/unitFiles/607/QCFamilia_Metropolis.pdf.

Breger, Rosemary and Hill, Rosanna. (eds) (1998) Cross-Cultural Marriage. Identity and Choice. Oxford: Berg.

Cabré, Anna and Domingo, Andreu (2007) "Tal com èrem i tal com som". L'Avenç, 323: pp. 20-26.

Cadoret, Anne (2007) “L’apport des familles homoparentales dans le débat actuel sur la construction de la parenté”. L’Homme, 183: 55-76.

Cadoret, Anne (2010) “Maternité et parenté plurielle”, en Fons, V., Piella, A. y Valdés, M. (Eds.) Procreación, crianza y género. Aproximaciones antropológicas a la parentalidad. Barcelona: PPU, pp: 279-291.

Carsten, Janet (2004) After Kinship. Cambridge University Press.

Carsten, Janet (2000) Cultures of Relatedness: New Approaches to the Study of Kinship (edited). Cambridge University Press.

Carsten, Janet (1997) The Heat of the Hearth: The Process ofKinship in a Malay Fishing Community. Oxford: Clarendon Pres

Comas d’Argemir, Dolors (1993) “Noves Formes de Família”. Revista del Centre d’Investigació, Formació i Assessorament. Diputació de Barcelona;11; pp: 25-31.

Comas d’Argemir, Dolors (2000) “Mujeres, Familia y Estado del Bienestar”, en Del Valle Teresa (Ed.) Perspectivas Feministas desde la Antropología Social. Barcelona: Ariel, pp: 187. 204.

Comas d’Argemir, Dolors. (2012)“Políticas públicas y vida cotidiana. Redescubrimiento y auge de las políticas familiares en España”. Scripta Nova. Revista electrónica de Geografía y Ciencias Sociales. [En línea]. Barcelona: Universidad de Barcelona, 15 de marzo de 2012, vol. XVI, nº 395 (20).

Cortina, Clara; Esteve, Albert and Domingo, Andreu. (2006) "Crecimiento y singularidades demográficas de los matrimonios de extranjeros en España", Migraciones 20: 75-105.

Donoso, Silvia (2006) “Maternidad lésbica: reconocimiento y soporte en el ámbito de las relaciones familiares”. En Roigé Ventura, X. (Coord.) Familias de ayer, familias de hoy. Continuidades y cambios en Cataluña. Barcelona: Icaria, pp: 515-534.

Flaquer, Lluís (1998a) “Família i noves formes de convivència”, en Giner, S. (dir.) (1998) La Societat Catalana. Barcelona: Institut d’Estadística de Catalunya, Generalitat de Catalunya, pp: 401-415.

Grau Rebollo, Jorge (2006) Procreación, género e identidad. Debates actuales sobre el parentesco y la familia en clave transcultural. Barcelona: Ediciones Bellaterra.

Grau Rebollo, Jorge (2010) “Parentesco e identidad.Debates recientes en torno al binomionaturaleza-cultura. ¿Rebiologización o reideologización del Parentesco?”, a Díaz Cruz, R.; González Echevarría, A. (Eds) Naturalezas, cuerpos, culturas. Metamorfosis e intersecciones; México D.F.: UAM-JuanPablos; pp: 81-109.

Grau Rebollo, Jorge (2011) Parentesco, adscripción y crianza. Elaboraciones culturales de la adopción internacional y la circulación de niños. Revista de Antropología Social, 20, pp. 31-54.

Grau Rebollo, Jorge. (2018). “Familia”, in Aguirre Baztán, A. (Dir.) Diccionario Temático de Antropología, Madrid: Delta Publicaciones, pp. 233-237.

Grau Rebollo, Jorge. (2020). Posverdad y Ficción. Cómo la distorsión (des)explica el mundo. Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra. ISBN: 978-84-7290-980-9

Gupta, S., Tarantino, M., & Sanner, C. (2024). A scoping review of research on polyamory and consensual non‐monogamy: Implications for a more inclusive family science. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 16(2), 151-190.

Imaz, Elixabete (2010) “¿Madre no hay más que una? De cómo la reflexión sobre las familias lesbianas ayuda a evidenciar el carácter cultural y de género de la maternidad”, en Fons, V., Piella, A. y Valdés, M. (Eds.) Procreación, crianza y género. Aproximaciones antropológicas a la parentalidad. Barcelona: PPU, pp: 359-376.

Jiménez Godoy, Ana Belén. (2005) Modelos y realidades de la familia actual. Barcelona: Fundamentos.

Konvalinka, Nancy (ed.) (2012) Modos y maneras de hacer familia : las familias tardias, una modalidad emergente. Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva.

Melhuss, Maritt (2010) “Hijos sin madres, padres desconocidos y otros problemas de filiación. Hechos reproductivos e imaginaciones procreativas en Noruega”, en Fons, V., Piella, A. y Valdés, M. (Eds.) Procreación, crianza y género. Aproximaciones antropológicas a la parentalidad. Barcelona: PPU, pp: 27-42.

Miret, Pau and Cabré, Anna (Ed.) (2010) "Monogràfic “El desarrollo de la familia en España desde una perspectiva demográfica”. Papers. Revista de Sociologia, 95 (3) : pp. 1-754.

Morrison, R., Gallardo, S., & Parra Fuster, F. (2023). Heteronormative representations of the family and parenting in public policies: Implications for LGBTIQ+ families. Social Sciences, 12(2), 66.

Olavarría, María Eugenia(2002) “De la casa al laboratorio. La teoría del parentesco hoy día”. Alteridades, 12 (24): 99-116.

Pichardo, José Ignacio (2009) Entender la diversidad familiar. Relaciones homosexuales y nuevos modelos de familia. Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra.

Piella Vila, Anna (2011) “Tener o no tener...hijos. Una aproximación histórica y transcultural a la relación entre parentesco e infecundidad”, en Grau, J.; Rodríguez, D. y Valenzuela, H. (Eds). ParentescoS. Modelos culturales de reproducción. Barcelona: PPU, pp: 419-444.

Poveda, David; Jociles, Mª Isabel and Rivas, Ana Mª (2011) Monoparentalidad por elección: procesos de socialización de los hijos/as en un modelo familiar no convencional. Athenea digital. 11 (2): 133-154.

Ragoné, Helena (1996) Chasing the blood tie: Surrogate Mothers, Adoptive Mothers and Fathers. American Ethnologist, 23 (2), pp. 352-365.

Régnier-Loilier, A. (2025) Living apart together, a Research Handbook on Partnering across the Life Course. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803923383.00015.

Rodríguez García, Dan (2010) “Parentesco transnacional: intersecciones entre las teorías sobre migración y el ámbito procreativo”, en V. Fons, A. Piella y M. Valdés (eds). Procreación, crianza y género. Aproximaciones antropológicas a la parentalidad. Barcelona: PPU, pp: 119-140.

Roigé Ventura, Xavier. (Coord.) (2006) Familias de ayer, familias de hoy. Continuidades y cambios en Cataluña. Barcelona: Icaria.

Strohm, Charles et al. (2009) “Living ApartTogether” relationships in the United States. Demographic Research. 21 (7), pp. 177-214.

Filmography:

Grau Rebollo, J., Lorite García, N.(2021). Invulnerables. 35 min. Color. https://youtu.be/jAT-I2feKq4

Grau Rebollo, Jorge. (2020). El Proyecto Vulneras. 5’56 min. Color. https://youtu.be/saWQDAbVtw8

Grau Rebollo, Jorge. (2020). Cifras en torno a la pobreza infantil (I). 6,45 min. Color. https://youtu.be/aSKOgj3PgTg.

Grau Rebollo, Jorge. (2020). Cifras en torno a la pobreza infantil (II). 5’43 min. Color. https://youtu.be/YHiGCE5pCYY.

Grau Rebollo, Jorge. (2020). Redes de apoyo en contextos de crianza vulnerable (I). 8,17 min. Color. https://youtu.be/ofu62pw6xX0.

Grau Rebollo, Jorge. (2020). Redes de apoyo en contextos de crianza vulnerable (II). 11’53 min. Color. https://youtu.be/lIWBvDcMk2A.

Vídeo-podcasts VulneraS: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8qycc06Xd6hsPS3Udwwtmg.

Vídeo-podcasts AFRONTA: https://www.youtube.com/@ProyectoAFRONTA



Software

No specific requirements.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE