Marx and Others on the Family: Will the Real Sociologist Stand Up? [with Comment]

RECENT WORK BY F. DOTSON ("MARX AND ENGELS ON THE FAMILY: RETROSPECT WITH A MORAL," AMERICAN SOCIOLOGIST, 1974, 9, 181-186) ATTACKS MARXIST SOCIOLOGY ON 4 POINTS: (1) LITTLE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ON THE FAMILY, (2) SOCIOLOGISTS THUS CANNOT CLAIM THE USE OF MARXIST PERSPECTIVES ON THE FAMILY, (3) THE LACK OF ATTENTION AFFORDED THE FAMILY TYPIFIES MARXIST GENERAL LACK OF SOCIOLOGICAL CONTENT, & (4) SUCH A PAUCITY OF SOCIOLOGICAL CONTENT CANNOT CONSTITUTE A SOCIOLOGICAL ALTERNATIVE TO CONVENTIONAL THEORIES. THE WOMAN QUESTION: SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF MARX, ENGELS, LENIN, AND STALIN (NEW YORK, NY: INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS, 1951) OUTLINES BASIC MARXIST TEACHINGS ON THE FAMILY. NO ATTEMPT BY DOTSON TO CLOSE HIS EYES TO A MARXIST SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY WILL EFFECTIVELY CAUSE IT TO DISAPPEAR. EVEN HIS STATEMENT THAT MARX IS MOST OFTEN CITED, MENTIONED, DISCUSSED, ETC IN CURRENT SOCIOLOGICAL DEBATE IS IN ERROR. A STUDY BY W. H. SWATOS & P. L. SWATOS ("NAME CITATIONS IN INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY TEXTS," AMERICAN SOCIOLOGIST, 1974, 9, 225-228) NOTES THAT PARSONS RANKS 1ST & MARX 10TH IN USE FREQUENCY. PERHAPS DOTSON SHOULD HAVE ENGAGED IN "FORMAL CONTENT ANALYSIS." T. BABITSKY.