Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses a substantial contribution in the regard by intensifying the discourse in the interdisciplinary research field. It examines the different thematic and conceptual views on space and family that the contributions reflect. The book deals with theoretical and conceptual approaches, embedding family in an interpretative sociology and suggesting analytical connections between the categories family and space. It analyses both epistemological questions and empirical methods for the research on family, space, and their interplay. The long-established connection between family and household in sociological theory and research needs to be reconsidered, and also recognised within teachings in sociology, geography, and anthropology. Family and space tend to be viewed in isolation and space is considered to be something peripheral to the family and/or to affect family life from the outside.