leads on ethbnographic research on parenting in poverty

[rgillign@xxxxxx (Robbie Gilligan)]

I have had a tremendous response to my query on these two lists yesterday.
I thought it would be helpful to pull the material suggested together by
way of thanks to respondents and for the information of other people.
Thanks again. it really underlines the power of these lists.

Sources suggested with comments from the sender  where included

Jill Duerr Berrick, "Faces of Poverty; Portraits of Women and Children on
Welfare," New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

Cohen, R, Coxall, J, Craig G. & Sadiq-Sangster, A. (1992). Hardship
Britain: Being Poor In The 1990s. London: CPAG.

Ford, R. (1996) Childcare in the balance London: Policy Studies Institute

Jarrett, Robin L. (1992). A family case study: An examination of the underclass
debate in Gilgin, Daly, & Handel (Eds.) Qualitative Methods in Family Research.
Newbury Park, CA: Sage.  Dr. Jarrett who is at Loyola University in Chicago, I
believe, used both focus group and in-depth personal interviews in the study
discussed in this article.

Elaine Kempson (1996) Life on a Low Income - .  York: York Publishing
Services (JRF)

 Kempson E., Bryson, A. and Rowlingson, K. (1994) Hard Times? How poor
families make ends meet London: Policy Studies Institute

Kozol, J.  (1991).  Savage inequalities.
Not a study, but a potent documentary of life of families in poverty,
reflecting the voices of children and adults in dire poverty. Could be a
great start to gain an understanding into some of the issues these
individuals might be dealing with.

Mantsios, G.  (1988).  Class in America: Myths and realities. In P. S.
Rothenberg (Ed.), Racism and sexism: An integrated study (pp. 56-69). New
York: St. Martin's Press. (there's also a 1992 edition which might
include a more update version of this chapter)
Not a study, but a very good overview about some of the myths people in
America hold regarding the issue of social classes and classism.


Marsden, D  (1973)   Mothers alone : poverty and the fatherless family
Harmondsworth: Penguin

McCashin, A (1996) Lone mothers in Ireland : a local study Dublin: Oak Tree
Press / Combat Poverty Agency

Middleton, S., Ashworth, K. and Walker, R. (1994) Family Fortunes:
Pressures on parents and children in the 1990s, London: Child Poverty
Action Group

Jenny Morris,  (1992) Alone Together: voices of single mothers, the women's
press

Oldfield, N. & Yu. ACS. (1993). The Cost Of A Child: Living Standards
For The 1990s. London: CPAG.


Other suggestions / comments


I suggest the work of Frank Furstenberg;  Elijah Anderson; Linda Burton;
and Robin Jarrett. There is also a volume edited by Lindsay Chase-Lansdale
and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn on poverty and another edited by Brooks-Gunn et al.
on neighborhoods and poverty.

website for the
Consortium on Children, Youth, and Family. It is directed by Martha
Farrell Erickson, Ph.D. and is based at the University of Minnesota.

National  Anti-Poverty Organization in Canada, and its resource centre,
headed up by  Rosemary Spendlove.  Their web site is located at
http://www.napo-onap.ca.


Also, Dr. Sandra Beeman who is at the University of Minnesota, School of Social
Work (email: sbeeman@che2.che.umn.edu) did her dissertation work in Chicago and
interviewed many low income families.  She may also have other ideas as she is
a qualitative researcher.

Finally, a graduate student in Family Social Science at the University of
Minnesota, Lynn Heitritter, has done extensive interviewing with homeless
families in Minneapolis MN.  She specifically looked at how these families
define "family."  Her email is probably accessible through the internet at the
University of Minnesota's Family Social Science Department or she could be
contacted via phone by calling (612) 625-1900 and asking for a number and/or
address.

A French and Belgian catholic NGO called Aide ˆ Toutes Detresses has
somewhat specialized in this. They have published a lot of material in poor
people's own words, and , predictably, since they are both Francophone and
catholics, they have a special interest in family matters

 'It's OUR welfare - reportof the citizen's commission on the future of the
welfare state' published by NISW



Robbie Gilligan
Senior Lecturer in Social Work,  and
Head of Department
Department of Social Studies
University of Dublin - Trinity College

email:          rgillign@tcd.ie
Snailmail:      Department of Social Studies,
                University of Dublin - Trinity College,Dublin 2, Ireland
Fax:            +353-1-671 2262
WWW:            http://www.tcd.ie/Social_Studies/People/Robbie_Gilligan/

also Academic Co-Director, the Children's Centre,
University of Dublin - Trinity College
http://www.tcd.ie/Childrens_Centre/