“Fictive Kin, Paper Sons, and Compadrazgo” by Thornton Dill Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Summary of Bonnie Thornton Dill’s Work

In the work “Fictive Kin, Paper Sons, and Compadrazgo,” Bonnie Thornton Dill discusses the position of women of color in American society during the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century with references to their social responsibilities and role in a family. The author focuses on the life of African American women, Chinese women, and representatives of the Chicano culture to compare the life aspects with the situation characteristic for the white women in the United States during the discussed period.

The author’s work is divided into three parts. Focusing on the life of the African American women, Dill pays attention to the concept of slavery as important to determine the role of the reproductive labor, patriarchal approach to family, and gender division of work for affecting the life of the women of color. Thus, Dill states that egalitarianism typical for the African American families had negative effects on women who were discussed as equal to African American men, and they had to perform as equal workers and also to concentrate on the household responsibilities. The African American women were not discussed as performers of the female roles in a family. They were sources of the labor force that is why the growth of slaves’ families was significant for the slave owners.

Chinese women in the United States suffered from the effects of cultural stereotypes. Girls in families could not rely on a good attitude because they were discussed as temporary family members. Many Chinese women became prostitutes in the United States, thus, the Chinese family could not develop in the country appropriately. More attention was paid to the role of the Mexican women in families as representatives of the Chicano culture and as the important elements of the large family networks. The author’s discussion of the role of women of color in families depends on the analysis of the existing literature on the topic.

Even though Dill focuses on the specific racial and ethnic groups to discuss the role of women in families, it is possible to examine the topic of the family more broadly and focus on such general sociological points as the role of race in a family, gender division of labor at home, equality and egalitarianism, family network, and kinship. From this point, race can influence the family development along with the culture, and the fact of belonging to the ethnic minority affects the distribution of the women’s role in a family as well as the social role.

Questions to Discuss

  1. How did the approach to egalitarianism in slave families influence the vision of gender labor division related to the role of women?
  2. What is the role of women to contribute to the development of ethnic minority families?
More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2021, January 10). "Fictive Kin, Paper Sons, and Compadrazgo" by Thornton Dill. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fictive-kin-paper-sons-and-compadrazgo-by-thornton-dill/

Work Cited

""Fictive Kin, Paper Sons, and Compadrazgo" by Thornton Dill." IvyPanda, 10 Jan. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/fictive-kin-paper-sons-and-compadrazgo-by-thornton-dill/.

References

IvyPanda. (2021) '"Fictive Kin, Paper Sons, and Compadrazgo" by Thornton Dill'. 10 January.

References

IvyPanda. 2021. ""Fictive Kin, Paper Sons, and Compadrazgo" by Thornton Dill." January 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fictive-kin-paper-sons-and-compadrazgo-by-thornton-dill/.

1. IvyPanda. ""Fictive Kin, Paper Sons, and Compadrazgo" by Thornton Dill." January 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fictive-kin-paper-sons-and-compadrazgo-by-thornton-dill/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. ""Fictive Kin, Paper Sons, and Compadrazgo" by Thornton Dill." January 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fictive-kin-paper-sons-and-compadrazgo-by-thornton-dill/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1