Has the American Family Gone to the Animals?

Abstract

This chapter examines how various historical, macro-level forces have driven the emergence of the multispecies family as it exists today. After reviewing existing literature on the sociohistorical impact of postmodernity and subsequent recognition of companion animals as sentient, agential beings, this chapter argues that any understanding of the multispecies family as a new, nontraditional family form must take into account the influence of the Industrial Revolution and concomitant demographic transitions on the diversification of family structure within the United States. The second demographic transition is used to explain increasing family diversification in the United States and the ways in which this has been a main driver of the emergence of the multispecies family.