by Manijeh Daneshpour, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, St. Cloud State University, Minnesota
While in the West the hijab has come to symbolize either forced silence or radical unconscionable militancy, I choose to wear it to represent myself as an example of modesty and as a sanctuary of female independence. This is based on my postmodern Muslim feminist praxis.
There’s nothing like a flash mob to get you into the spirit of the holidays. In this fabulous video, unsuspecting shoppers are treated to an expert rendition of Handel’s "Hallelujah Chorus."
Religious participation produces better relationships. Using national data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study, we show how the effects of regular church attendance on relationship satisfaction varies by sex and marital status.
As we look forward to fall, I hope you have our annual conference in your plans. This year’s program spotlights some of the most interesting research taking place in the area of family and religion.
Part of our preparation for NCFR's 75th anniversary conference in 2013 will be the unveiling of the NCFR History project. One of our staff members called my attention to one of the conference panelists from the very first conference in 1938 and showed me an online book of his (scary) ideas. If I hadn't seen some of his work in print, I would have never believed it.
In this election cycle, for the first time in my adult life, family planning issues are front and center. I never expected contraception to be part of the political discourse, especially contraception practiced by a married couple. I can't think of a more personal--or more important--decision for couples to consider. Whether parents are in red states or blue states, this choice has social, ethnic and religious influences that are very, very strong. One of our NCFR members just wrote a book to help people think though this crucial decision.
