This paper presents an overview of the literature on the family in East Africa over the past several decades. The recent literature on family and kinship in this region is rather scant. Moreover it is anchored in different disciplinary approaches, each implying specific sources, methods, and geographies. While this diversity is enriching, it complicates cross-disciplinary and cross-national comparisons, slowing the identification of common trends and local specificities. As rapid social change is underway across East Africa, knowledge on new family configurations and family-related vulnerabilities is needed. One promising avenue in this regard consists in redefining the objects of analysis through an interdisciplinary lens and working at different scales.