WEIRD stands for Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich and Democratic. The acronym is used by social scientists to remind us that contemporary westerners are extremely atypical of most people in most parts of the world at most points in human history.
For instance, when westerners refer to the ‘extended family’ they do so as if it were some special feature of certain societies, as opposed to what the great majority of human beings think of as just ‘family’. It is the standard western conception of the family – one or two adults plus a small number of children – that requires a special term. Some academics refer to the ‘truncated family’.
In the not so recent past, having more than two generations (and/or more than one branch) of a family living together was commonplace, even in the West. It’s hardly unheard of today – but is regarded as a deviation from the norm, the result of some regrettable necessity or frailty. Almost always the expectation is that the ‘extra’ members of the household will, before too long, move on to somewhere else (either in this world or the next).
The ‘household’ is another concept that used to mean a lot more than it does today. In some ways, it is a broader idea than the extended family – because it doesn’t always depend on ties of blood, marriage or adoption.
In a fascinating and challenging essay for First Things, John Cuddeback reminds us just what a big deal the household used to be – and contrasts to the way we live today:
“The bustling little community that was the household—the context in which parents would raise their children to be responsible adults and citizens, even in seriously diseased polities—has practically ceased to exist.
“Not long ago, the household was a context of daily life. The arts that provided for the material needs of human life were largely home arts, practiced, developed, and passed on within the four walls, or at least in the immediate ambit of the home. Food, clothing, shelter, as well as nonessential items that gave some embellishment to life, were commonly the fruit of the work of household members, often produced with an eye for beauty as well as utility.”
He makes the provocative argument that “people [today] do not really live in their homes”:
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