Abstract
Families are not only subject to time constraints but also produce their own sense of time. The time families live by is not the same as they live with. Historians, who have been primarily concerned with the quantitative dimension, have neglected the phenomenon that is commonly referred to as "quality time. " This article explores the origins of modem family times, paying particular attention to the rituals involved in daily, weekly, and annual family occasions. It suggests that a behavioral approach to family history is incapable of capturing the symbolic processes that have become central to modern family life, and it calls for a cultural history of family that would take into account myth, ritual, and symbol.
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