In the era of bourgeois modernity (1750–1900), the family is as valued as it is vulnerable. It constitutes a community of care, conflict, and emotion. Time and again, it is evoked as a bond of love as well as a moral institution. Yet both love and morality are fragile. A more detailed exploration reveals that domestic life during this period was much more colorful, open, and dynamic – and also more prone to crisis – than one might expect given the vaunted view of the family that characterized the heyday of the bourgeoisie. This book rewrites the history of the modern family. Self-narratives – primarily diaries – written by members of eight families from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria serve as sources for this research. The focus extends far beyond the bourgeoisie. With a micro-historical eye, the author reconstructs family histories from the peasant milieu to the patrician elite, from the parsonage to the educated bourgeoisie; he considers the domestic life of a journeyman craftsman, a couple’s descent from the ranks of the petite bourgeoisie, the effects of an itinerant childhood among the proletariat, and the strain of being caught between a bourgeois family and artistic individuality. Many of these aspects point beyond bourgeois modernity to the family in our time.

'Power and Responsibility in Biblical Interpretation' addresses the interpretive challenges now facing much biblical interpretation. Incorporating the methodologies of poststructuralism, postcolonialism, and liberation theology, the study presents a possible methodology which integrates scholarly and vernacular hermeneutics. The approach is based on the theories of Edward Said, adapting his concept of contrapuntal reading to the interpretation of 'Job'. The book sets this study in the broader context of a survey of current work in the field. The analysis of 'Job' examines the possibilities for dialogue between those interpretations that view suffering as a key theme in the book and those that do not. Interpretations of the 'Book of Job' are then compared to the psychology of suffering as experienced in various contexts today. The conclusion argues for pedagogical reform based upon the ethical and interpretive insights of contrapuntal hermeneutics.

'Power and Responsibility in Biblical Interpretation' addresses the interpretive challenges now facing much biblical interpretation. Incorporating the methodologies of poststructuralism, postcolonialism, and liberation theology, the study presents a possible methodology which integrates scholarly and vernacular hermeneutics. The approach is based on the theories of Edward Said, adapting his concept of contrapuntal reading to the interpretation of 'Job'. The book sets this study in the broader context of a survey of current work in the field. The analysis of 'Job' examines the possibilities for dialogue between those interpretations that view suffering as a key theme in the book and those that do not. Interpretations of the 'Book of Job' are then compared to the psychology of suffering as experienced in various contexts today. The conclusion argues for pedagogical reform based upon the ethical and interpretive insights of contrapuntal hermeneutics.