"Abolish the Family" Debate
True or False?
Sophie Lewis states that the family is an oppressive institution
True - She does argue that it is inherently oppressive
True or False?
Queer family structures do not replicate traditional heteronormative power dynamics
False - Critiques have been brought up about how queer families and dynamics in households can mirror traditional norms
True or False?
Lewis is an advocate for preserving the family as it is in its current form
False - Lewis is against the dominant family model as it reinforces an oppressive system in society
True or False?
Lewis argues about how Black families used the family structure to survive against systemic oppression
True - While she still stands as a strong advocate surrounding family structure, she understands that kinship was for their protection and well-being
True or False?
Lewis talks about how the family can be a protective support system for marginalized communities/populations
True - Lewis, while still critiquing the family structure finds that it has served a protective role for certain populations (e.g. black families) for resisting state violence
True or False
Lewis states that Black families should not be part of her critique on family abolition
False - Family abolition must include Black families, even as they have used it to combat against oppression they still reinforce the state simultaneously
True or False?
Abolishing the family would eliminate all forms of oppression
False - While it's a good starting point, other institutions and the state itself reinforce oppression
True or False?
Racialized families according to Lewis are not included in how capitalist exploitation is processed through family structure
False - Racialized families also play a role in capitalist exploitation through using the family structure
How does Lewis argue that the family structure helps to maintain capitalism?
The family is a key part in capitalism, as it can normalize gendered roles in labour
How is heteronormativity a core aspect of the family structure?