ABSTRACT
Comparative research has a heritage which dates back to the founding fathers of sociology and philosophy, although it can hardly claim to have constituted itself as a scientific discipline proper. In comparative research, according to the conventional definition as cross-boundary research, the instance will typically be society, system, culture, historical period or the like, while the phenomenon may be any kind of sub-unit vis-a-vis this instance. When we turn from Europe’s homogeneity to her heterogeneity we shift position from speaking about Europe as one ‘instance’ to talking about a number of different ‘instances’, represented for example by culture, common history, political system or by country. In much theorising about the family, it has been regarded not only as a fundamental group in society, but also as a stable and stabilising entity in a changing society, and yet, the family has itself undergone dramatic changes.
