Family values are not derived from nature, but have a history in western culture, beginning in the 16th century. The sources of this history are cultural documents of all kinds, including fiction. But documents are not transparent. In order to read them attentively as a basis for interpreting the past, we need to define a relationship between the interpreting subject, the object of knowledge, and language in its broadest sense. Cultural history is history at the level of the signifier.
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