Community and family in Venezuela. Reflections on paradigms and theoretical models

Based on an overview of the research done during the last 15 years on family and community in Venezuela, this article discusses the contributions and limitations of the different approaches under which the family has been studied. Since family research covers a wide spectrum of models, this article is organised in three sections. The first discusses an overview of anthropological and demographic findings, in order to illustrate the historical situation of Venezuela and compare these findings with those from Central American research. In the second section, the sociological and psychological approaches used to describe the cultural characteristics of the family, are discussed. Here, systems-oriented models and action-research methodologies applied in some intervention studies on family dynamics are introduced. The third section, focusing on the Educational Approach, is an example of the most recent trends in family and community intervention. It is intended to illustrate programs aimed at accelerating social change and strengthening family and community life around the school. Finally, it is concluded that an analysis of current trends in research with families and communities in Venezuela reveals a paradigm shift from positivist to postmodern approaches.