ABSTRACT
Dr. Ibrahim believes that families are crucial social units between the formal institutions of state and corporate power on the one hand, and personal development of individuals on the other. Civil society comes into existence through the volition of the citizens in that society. It operates in the space between families and larger structures. Quite dramatic changes and new developments are emerging in the domain of family policy in Europe. Terminology caused concerns during the Symposium, in part because globalization is a multi-faceted topic. A range of research, across many decades, indicates which family structures, ambiences, and practices foster the values and identities critical for humanitarian globalization. The fundamental principle upon which global society and culture rests–if it is not to slide into hegemonic and authoritarian regimes–is the positive negotiation of difference. Family relations/interaction comprise the most significant micro-locale for the grounding of this principle.
