Stephanie Coontz
Encyclopedia
Stephanie Coontz is an author, historian
, and faculty member at The Evergreen State College
. She teaches history and family studies and is Director of Research and Public Education for the Council on Contemporary Families, which she chaired from 2001-2004. Coontz has authored and co-edited several books about the history of the family and marriage. Her work has been translated into French, Spanish, Greek, German, and Japanese.
, where she was a member of the campus political party SLATE
and participated in the civil rights movement
and the Free Speech Movement
. After graduating in the history honors program, she went to the University of Washington
on a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. In 1970 she received an MA degree in European History from that institution, but then quit further graduate work to become a staff member, later a National Coordinator, of the National Peace Action coalition, which focused on building peaceful, legal demonstrations against the war in Vietnam. Before returning to full-time teaching in 1975, Coontz was also a leadership role in the Young Socialist Alliance, connected to the Socialist Workers Party
(SWP), which then considered itself a Trotskyist organization. By the late 1970s, however, Coontz had parted company with the SWP.
, Coontz has also taught at Kobe University
in Japan
and the University of Hawaii
at Hilo. She is a former Woodrow Wilson Fellow
. She won the Washington Governor's Writers Award in 1989 for her book The Social Origins of Private Life: A History of American Families. In 1995 she received the Dale Richmond Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics
for her "outstanding contributions to the field of child development." She received the 2001-02 "Friend of the Family" award from the Illinois Council on Family Relations. In 2004, she received the first-ever "Visionary Leadership" Award from the Council on Contemporary Families.
Coontz conducts research on American families, the history of marriage, and changes in gender roles. In particular her book The Way We Never Were argues against several common myths about families of the past, including the idea that the 1950s family was traditional or the notion that families used to rely solely on their own resources. Her book, Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage, traces the history of marriage from Anthony and Cleopatra (not a love story, she argues) to debates over same-sex marriage. Her newest book, about the wives and daughters of "The Greatest Generation," is titled A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s.
Coontz has appeared on national television and radio programs, including Oprah
, the Today Show, The Colbert Report and dozens of NPR
shows. In addition, her work has been featured in newspapers and magazines, as well as in many academic and professional journals. She has testified about her research before the House Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families in Washington, DC, and addressed audiences across America, Europe, and Japan.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and faculty member at The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
. She teaches history and family studies and is Director of Research and Public Education for the Council on Contemporary Families, which she chaired from 2001-2004. Coontz has authored and co-edited several books about the history of the family and marriage. Her work has been translated into French, Spanish, Greek, German, and Japanese.
Education and early career
Coontz received a BA degree in American History in 1966 from the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where she was a member of the campus political party SLATE
SLATE
SLATE, a pioneer organization of the New Left and precursor of the Free Speech Movement, was a campus political party at the University of California, Berkeley from 1958 to 1966.-Origins:...
and participated in the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
and the Free Speech Movement
Free Speech Movement
The Free Speech Movement was a student protest which took place during the 1964–1965 academic year on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley under the informal leadership of students Mario Savio, Brian Turner, Bettina Aptheker, Steve Weissman, Art Goldberg, Jackie Goldberg, and...
. After graduating in the history honors program, she went to the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
on a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. In 1970 she received an MA degree in European History from that institution, but then quit further graduate work to become a staff member, later a National Coordinator, of the National Peace Action coalition, which focused on building peaceful, legal demonstrations against the war in Vietnam. Before returning to full-time teaching in 1975, Coontz was also a leadership role in the Young Socialist Alliance, connected to the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (United States)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far-left political organization in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba...
(SWP), which then considered itself a Trotskyist organization. By the late 1970s, however, Coontz had parted company with the SWP.
Academic career
In addition to her current teaching position at EvergreenThe Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
, Coontz has also taught at Kobe University
Kobe University
Shindai is one of the leading universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university is ranked 10th in 2010 in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
at Hilo. She is a former Woodrow Wilson Fellow
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation is a private non-profit foundation based in Princeton, New Jersey. It administers programs that support leadership development and build organizational capacity in education. Its current signature program is the...
. She won the Washington Governor's Writers Award in 1989 for her book The Social Origins of Private Life: A History of American Families. In 1995 she received the Dale Richmond Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is the major professional association of pediatricians in the United States. The AAP was founded in 1930 by 35 pediatricians to address pediatric healthcare standards. It currently has 60,000 members in primary care and sub-specialist areas...
for her "outstanding contributions to the field of child development." She received the 2001-02 "Friend of the Family" award from the Illinois Council on Family Relations. In 2004, she received the first-ever "Visionary Leadership" Award from the Council on Contemporary Families.
Coontz conducts research on American families, the history of marriage, and changes in gender roles. In particular her book The Way We Never Were argues against several common myths about families of the past, including the idea that the 1950s family was traditional or the notion that families used to rely solely on their own resources. Her book, Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage, traces the history of marriage from Anthony and Cleopatra (not a love story, she argues) to debates over same-sex marriage. Her newest book, about the wives and daughters of "The Greatest Generation," is titled A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s.
Coontz has appeared on national television and radio programs, including Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, the Today Show, The Colbert Report and dozens of NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
shows. In addition, her work has been featured in newspapers and magazines, as well as in many academic and professional journals. She has testified about her research before the House Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families in Washington, DC, and addressed audiences across America, Europe, and Japan.
Books
- Coontz, Stephanie. A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s. New York: Basic Books, 2011. ISBN-10 0465002005
- Coontz, Stephanie. The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap. New York: Basic Books, 1992. ISBN 0-465-09097-4.
- Coontz, Stephanie. The Way We Really Are: Coming to Terms with America's Changing Families. Basic Books, 1998. ISBN 0-465-09092-3.
- Coontz, Stephanie., ed. American Families; A Multicultural Reader. London: Routledge, 1999. ISBN 0-415-91574-0.
- Coontz, Stephanie. Marriage, A History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage. New York: Viking Press, 2005. ISBN 0-670-03407-X.
Recent essays
- "Can this royal marriage survive?" CNN, April 30, 2011
- "Gay marriage isn't revolutionary. It's just the next step in marriage's evolution." The Washington Post, January 7, 2011
- "Economic Disparity Takes Toll on Marriage" The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 9, 2011.
- Marriage Private. New York Times, November 26, 2007.
- Close for Comfort. New York Times, November 7, 2006.
- Pop Quiz on Marriage. New York Times, February 19, 2006.
- Why Marriage Today Takes More Love and Work - From Both Partners The Christian Science Monitor, une 28, 2005.
- Kids Are Not Doomed Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2005.
- For Better, For Worse: Marriage Means Something Different Now. The Washington Post, May 1, 2005.
- "Greater Good Magazine: The Family Revolution", Greater Good Science CenterGreater Good Science CenterThe Greater Good Science Center, located at the University of California, Berkeley is an interdisciplinary research center devoted to the scientific understanding of happy and compassionate individuals, strong social bonds, and altruistic behavior. By studying individuals and their relationships,...
, Fall 2007 Issue.
External links
- Stephanie Coontz's personal website
- Antonella Gambotto-Burke on Stephanie Coontz
- The Heterosexual Revolution (July 5, 2005 New York Times Op-Ed on how traditional marriageMarriageMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, with its long history, was upended by heterosexuals) - Mother Jones Interview (May/June 1998)