TY - JOUR
T1 - Imagining the family
T2 - Representations of alternative lifestyles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
AU - Burr, Vivien
AU - Jarvis, Christine
PY - 2007/9/1
Y1 - 2007/9/1
N2 - Social work theory and research is increasingly exploring conceptions of the family and the child and the possibilities for recognizing and responding to the 'voice' of young people. Media images of the family are likely to contribute to society's conception of what a family is or should be, but often fail to represent the diversity of living arrangements that actually exist today. Focusing on the popular cult TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer we argue that this is an example of popular culture that explores both the advantages and the dangers of non-normative family forms, specifically the non-genetic or 'chosen' family. We argue that Buffy endorses a non-hierarchical, 'democratic' vision of the family (Giddens, 1992), with relationships between friends at its centre and offers a representation of young people that includes personal agency, reflecting the real choices, tensions and conflicts for people living in today's changing family. We argue that popular cultural forms such as Buffy can generate 'interactive social worlds' (Plummer, 1995) that are central to the dissemination of new social practices. Implications of this analysis for social work are outlined, in terms of re-conceptualizing the notion of 'family' and of innovations in practice and research.
AB - Social work theory and research is increasingly exploring conceptions of the family and the child and the possibilities for recognizing and responding to the 'voice' of young people. Media images of the family are likely to contribute to society's conception of what a family is or should be, but often fail to represent the diversity of living arrangements that actually exist today. Focusing on the popular cult TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer we argue that this is an example of popular culture that explores both the advantages and the dangers of non-normative family forms, specifically the non-genetic or 'chosen' family. We argue that Buffy endorses a non-hierarchical, 'democratic' vision of the family (Giddens, 1992), with relationships between friends at its centre and offers a representation of young people that includes personal agency, reflecting the real choices, tensions and conflicts for people living in today's changing family. We argue that popular cultural forms such as Buffy can generate 'interactive social worlds' (Plummer, 1995) that are central to the dissemination of new social practices. Implications of this analysis for social work are outlined, in terms of re-conceptualizing the notion of 'family' and of innovations in practice and research.
KW - Buffy
KW - Democratic
KW - Family
KW - Friendship
KW - Relationships
KW - Television
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=46349089885&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1473325007080401
DO - 10.1177/1473325007080401
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:46349089885
VL - 6
SP - 263
EP - 280
JO - Qualitative Social Work
JF - Qualitative Social Work
SN - 1473-3250
IS - 3
ER -