Acknowledgments  vii

1. Familial Intensities  1

2. The Functioning Family  13

3. Communities against Politics  33

4. Silence: A Politics  63

5. I [Heart] My Dog  83

6. The Spaces of Disability  107

7. Familiar Languages  125

Notes  153

Bibliography  179

Index  193

“Among the many strengths of this book, the greatest might be the way Ferguson uses the perspective of family life to pull together and explore an uncommon variety of ideas about politics and community… But it is to Ferguson’s immense credit as a thinker and writer that he allows his argument to range across such a breadth of ideas within social and political theory without ever leaving the reader confused or disoriented.” —Brian Duff, Theory & Event

“Ferguson sets out to provide a new conceptual framework for community, and he does do that very well. Ferguson's contribution lies in his conceptual analysis of what a community is, and in this regard his book serves as a contribution to social and political philosophy.” —Karin Brown, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

“Among the many strengths of this book, the greatest might be the way Ferguson uses the perspective of family life to pull together and explore an uncommon variety of ideas about politics and community… But it is to Ferguson’s immense credit as a thinker and writer that he allows his argument to range across such a breadth of ideas within social and political theory without ever leaving the reader confused or disoriented.” —Brian Duff, Theory & Event

“Ferguson sets out to provide a new conceptual framework for community, and he does do that very well. Ferguson's contribution lies in his conceptual analysis of what a community is, and in this regard his book serves as a contribution to social and political philosophy.” —Karin Brown, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"Are you tired of shopworn stories about the interdependence of family and politics? With their suspect notions of organic harmony, typically joined to attacks on the plural families of today? Well, then, this is the book for you. Kennan Ferguson addresses the variable intensities, blunted communications across fissures, silences, multiple disabilities, and negotiations across these lines that constitute family life. Now, he says, we are in a position to think about the complexities of family life and politics together, allowing each to illuminate the other. An impressive achievement!"—William E. Connolly, author of A World of Becoming

"When political theorists want to show us what community, authority, and other elusive political goods look like, they often have recourse to examples drawn from family life. Yet as Kennan Ferguson argues, the family relationships imagined by political theorists are too good to be true: real families are riven by conflict, mistrust, and opaqueness, just as political communities are. With an eye for illuminating details, an uncommonly creative theoretical imagination, and a gift for cutting to the heart of a political issue, Ferguson shows us how political theory could profit from attending to the aspects of family life that have been obscured in the rush to make the family signify an extraordinary communal solidarity. All in the Family is an outstanding contribution to contemporary political thinking."—Patchen Markell, author of Bound by Recognition

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