Strong Families, Strong Nation
The concept of strong families, strong nation, has long been used to promote certain ideals about family structure and its role in society. This website invites undergraduate students to critically examine how these ideas have been shaped by history, culture and systemic inequalities. Across five lessons, we explore the ways family has been constructed and how this dynamic perpetuates power structures. These lessons encourage students to reflect, question and engage with the complexities of family and identity.
How to access the lessons:
The five lessons are organized under the LESSONS tab in the menu at the top of this page. Simply hover over or click on the Lessons tab to view the drop-down menu, where each lesson is subcategorized.
Learning Outcomes
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Outline how dominant ideologies enforce family structure.
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Analyze how eugenics and state control shaped reproductive policies.
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Understand how institutions marginalized non-heterosexual relationships.
- Discuss how concepts of sexual deviance evolved over time
- Identify how non-normative identities were labelled as threats and controlled.
- Understand how 'proper' white womanhood and gender roles and norms stem from racism and contribute to the normal family.
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Understand how the idea of family was used as a metaphor for race and how this rhetoric affected marginalized groups economically and socially.
Before exploring the lessons, take a moment to reflect on the following:
1. What does the idea of normal family mean to you?
2. In what ways do societal structures / institutions support the idea of the normal family?
3. What possibilities exist outside the framework of the so-called normal family?