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Linda Burton, James B. Duke Professor of Sociology and Director of Undergraduate Studies

Linda Burton

 

Short Description of Research Approach:

Linda Burton
James B. Duke Professor of Sociology and Director of Undergraduate Studies

Office Info

Office: 255 Soc/Psych Building
Phone: (919) 660-5609
Email Address:   send me a message
Fax: 919-660-5623
Office hrs:
 

Other Links

Personal Web Page
 

Areas of Interest:

 
Poverty
Intergenerational Families
Family Life Course Transitions
Neighborhood Context
Ethnographic Methods
 
My program of research is conceptually grounded in life course, developmental, and ecological perspectives and focuses on three themes concerning the lives of America's poorest urban, small town, and rural families: (1) intergenerational family structures, processes, and role transitions; (2) the meaning of context and place in the daily lives of families; and, (3) childhood adultification and the accelerated life course. My methodological approach to exploring these issues is comparative, longitudinal, and multi-method. The comparative dimension of my research comprises in-depth within group analysis of low income African American, White, and, Hispanic/Latino families, as well as systematic examinations of similarities and differences across groups. I employ longitudinal designs in my studies to identify distinct and often nuanced contextual and ethnic/racial features of development that shape the family structures, processes (e.g., intergenerational care-giving) and life course transitions (e.g., grandparenthood, marriage) families experience over time. I am principally an ethnographer, but integrate survey and geographic and spatial analysis in my work. I was one of six principal investigators involved in an multisite, multi-method collaborative study of the impact of welfare reform on families and children (Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study). I directed the ethnographic component of the Three-City Study and was also principal investigator of an ethnographic study of rural poverty and child development (The Family Life Project). 
 

Selected Publications/Recent Research:

 
Representative Publications   (More Publications)

    Burton, L.M., Bonilla-Silva, E., Ray, V., Buckelew, R., & Hordge-Freeman, E.  (2009) . Critical race perspectives and families of color: A decade review    Journal of Marriage and Family
     [http://fds.duke.edu/db/aas/Sociology/faculty/burton/publications/154975]

    Burton, L.M., Cherlin, A., Winn, D.M., Estacion, A., & Holder-Taylor, C.  (2009) . The role of trust in low-income mothers' intimate unions    Journal of Marriage and Family , Vol. 71 , 1107 - 1127
     [http://fds.duke.edu/db/aas/Sociology/faculty/burton/publications/167384]

    Burton, L.M. & Tucker, M.B.  (2009) . Romantic unions in an era of uncertainty: A post-Moynihan perspective on African American women and marriage    The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science , Vol. 62 , 132-148

    Burton, L.M. Garrett-Peters, R., & Eaton, S.C.  (2009) . "More than good quotations:" How ethnography informs knowledge on adolescent development and context    R.M. Lerner & L. Steinberg. John Wiley & Sons

    Burton,L.M, Purvin, D., & Garrett-Peters, R.  (2009) . Longitudinal ethnography: Uncovering domestic abuse in low-income women's lives    G.Elder Jr. & J.Z. Giele. Guilford Press

    Burton, L.M.  (2007) . Childhood adultification in economically disadvantaged families: An ethnographic perspective    Family Relations , Vol. 56, No. 329-345,

 

Course Descriptions:

  • SOCIOL 150.01, CHANGING AMERICAN FAMILY
  • SOCIOL 191S.02, ETHNOGRAPHIC DATA ANALYSIS
 
 


 
   
Sociology
Page generated: February 9, 2010

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