States of Being: Response Piece

Professor Huntington’s exploration of the potentially positive role for emotion and social norms in rethinking the place of the state in family regulation is an important contribution to the field. However, in order to accomplish the ambitious tasks she sets out for herself, I suggest that she should give more attention to clarifying the meaning of key concepts. Elaboration of certain assertions and terms would strengthen her observations and arguments, making both more persuasive. In the following Parts, I raise some key issues and questions regarding the concepts and terms that warrant further development and articulation.