Aunting as Family Shadow-Work

Abstract

Women have long been known as family kin-keepers, sources of knowledge about family histories. Yet little has been written on the role of aunts within families, and more specifically on aunts’ domain over sensitive or secret family information. This paper develops the concept of family shadow-work to analyse labours that are unseen yet essential to family life. To do this it explores aunting practices around family secrets using ‘facet methodology’ applied to qualitative research. This analysis highlights aunts’ efforts to manage and transmit information while navigating the politics of family secrecy. While such acts of diagonal transmission may be less recognised as reproductive of family, they are crucial in creating a continuity of family lore, structure, and identity.