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atsundarsingh's review
2.0
Therborn's supposedly global analysis was not a thrilling read for me. While I was helped by and interested in the mounds of data, the book lacks consistent references to one area (Middle East/West Asia) that he highlights as a unique cultural zone, and takes liberties in assigning causes to changes in family structure that have previously been identified as not within the scope of consideration (e.g. "economic progress"). More to the point for me, the assumption, frequently made, that Europeans were and are the most progressive on marriage 1900-2000 seems to lose sight of their influence in shaping many of the more patriarchal norms identified in postcolonial settings.
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