Family in the Caribbean provides a comprehensive review of the extensive literature on family household and conjugal unions in the Caribbean The book is constructed around six themes prominent in Caribbean family studies namely definitions of the family plural and creole society social structure gender roles and relationships methodology history and social change Part I critically assesses theoretical trends and interpretations from the perspectives of African heritage colonial social welfare structural functionalism adaptive responses to poverty and kinship ideology and practice Concepts such as matrifocality male marginality female headed household and kinship network are examined Part II reviews substantive topics of slave family structure East Indian family patterns childhood socialisation and social policy An added feature is the inclusion of selected readings from works by the main contributors to Caribbean family theory which provide a handy reference for readers These