HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF FAMILY STUDIES AS A DISTINCT ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the evolution of Family Studies as a distinct academic
discipline, focusing on its interdisciplinary nature, the theoretical challenges it faces,
and its institutional development in the United States. Unlike classical scientific disciplines
with a unified paradigm and clear theoretical roots, family studies have emerged
as a result of a dialogue among multiple scholarly fields—Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology,
History, Demography, Gender Studies, and other related disciplines. This
interdisciplinary distinctiveness, while enriching the analytical dimension of the field,
simultaneously leads to methodological fragmentation and the absence of a coherent
theoretical framework. The paper analyzes both sides of this debate—the critiques of
theoretical dependence and the support for interdisciplinary innovation—as key to understanding
the disciplinary status of Family Studies.
This paper is based on a historical-analytical method, through which key institutions,
academic publications, and milestones in the field’s development are mapped,
with particular attention to the societal and academic factors that have influenced its
institutionalization. Special emphasis is placed on the analysis of the American context,
its process of institutionalization, and its development across different phases. Additionally,
the most significant research centers and academic journals that have contributed
to establishing family studies as a legitimate scientific field are examined. In
this way, the paper offers a systematic overview of the consolidation process of Family
Studies as a distinct discipline, assessing its scientific relevance and potential for further
development.