The history of the family is a relatively new, yet rapidly developing area of academic study. With this book, Cynthia Comacchio presents the first historical overview of domestic life in Canada.According to Comacchio, the sense of families being 'in crisis' has been a perpetual source of social anxiety that has had significant influence on evolving social policy. Comacchio shows how families have both changed and remained the same, given the impact of urbanization, industrialization, and war. Her many stories of individual families highlight both historical trends and more intimate issues related to race, gender, class, region, and age.This is the only synthesis to date of the historical literature on Canadian families. Designed for students at graduate and undergraduate levels, it not only introduces the key concepts and approaches of a developing field of study but also summarizes the major issues and trends that have affected Canadian families over the near-century between 1850 and 1940.