The history of the family is a well-researched cross-sectional field in social history and the history of mentalities. However, that is true only for the early modern period and modern history from 1789 to 1914, but not the twentieth century. Contemporary history of the family has so far been a field for family sociology, educational studies, and psychology. In this textbook, it is treated as a resource that needs to be developed through a dialogue between academic history and laypersons who are interested in family history. The book starts with a theoretical section concerned with the motivation that lies behind an interest in the family inside and outside of academic research, tracing leading perspectives and major lines in the development of the family, from nuclear family to patchwork family. The practical section of the volume deals with specific source problems in project work on family history.

Prof. Rolf-Ulrich Kunze teaches Modern and Contemporary History at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).