THE FAMILY AS AN IRREPLACEABLE POINT OF REFERENCE FOR THE PEOPLE
ABSTRACT. The culture of European countries, especially those in the south, has long been similar to the customary practices of the Middle East. In the past in Europe, where there were no “extreme tensions” and cultural diversity, the family embodied moral and ethical values. The same thing happened in the Middle East, where the household was the irreplaceable point of reference for the family members. This article aims to address some questions related to changes within both European and the Middle Eastern family through studies by European sociologists and through empirical research conducted in 2011 and 2013 in the Bethlehem area. It will try to answer some queries, such as: Are there still some similarities as in the past? Have different historical events helped to remove or bring back the family systems in Europe and the Middle East? Does social class affect the functions, the role or the structure of the Palestinian family? Although generalization of the results is impossible given that the empirical research covers only a small