Periodization is a major element in historical interpretation. The
remarkable changes in the American family since World War II are reviewed
in conjunction with three principal frameworks—dichotomous, secular trend,
and episodic schemes—for organizing the dimension of time in the
historiography of the family. How these recent episodes relate to longer-run
frameworks is explored. Metaphors or models of change in family history need
to be used more consciously and explicitly.
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