Jf. Jackson, MULTIPLE CAREGIVING AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND INFANT ATTACHMENT - THE NEED FOR AN EMIC APPROACH, Human development, 36(2), 1993, pp. 87-102
Attachments of African Americans should be studied with a focus on cul
tural practices of multiple caregiving and with an emic approach, in o
rder to detect attachment phenomena inherent in the culture. Misunders
tanding of African-American infant attachments is likely if evaluative
standards derived from infant caregiving in traditional white middle-
class culture and an imposed etic approach are employed. An explorator
y study is described to highlight issues that should receive the atten
tion of attachment researchers and to draw attention to the need to ex
pand the scope of discussion on culture and attachment.