The edition of an interdisciplinary volume centered on actual subjects and written by senior and assistant researchers from disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, social work, political philosophy, gender studies, criminology, and international human rights is always welcome. On the global context, a series of contemporary phenomena generated by the constitution and spread of transnational families is taking place and is generating various political, economic, and psycho-social effects on

more »

... macro-, mezzo-, and micro-social levels. Transnational families are representing what we call social change and, on the other hand, such families are generating various social changes, i.e. relevant transformations which affect the structure and function of the social organization of groups and communities in the medium or in the long term (Boudon 1982(Boudon /2006. Even if statistical data and surveys provide a relatively clear image on the state and evolution of transnational families and adjacent phenomena, we can hardly affi rm that the complexity of this particular social organization can be revealed solely on the basis of quantitative data and statistical analyses. Thus, the quantitative picture can be well completed by more nuanced and deeper qualitative analyses. The present volume can be integrated in the line of these latter qualitative approaches.