Upland Communities: Environment, Population and Social Structure in the Alps since the Sixteenth Century

by Pier Paolo Viazzo

Overview

This book follows the social, economic and demographic transformations of the Alpine area from the late Middle Ages. Its aim is to reassess the image of the upland community which emerges from the work of historians, geographers and social anthropologists. The book therefore deals at length with such problems as the causes and consequences of emigration and patterns of marriage and inheritance in favouring or hampering the adjustments of local populations to changing economic or ecological circumstances, and tackles the vexed question of the relative importance of cultural and environmental factors in shaping family forms and community structures. Although its foundation lies in a long period of anthropological fieldwork conducted in an Alpine community, Upland Communities relies on the methods and conceptual tools of historical demography. Combined with a long-term historical perspective, its broad comparative approach unveils an unexpected diversity in regional and spatial demographic patterns and questions a number of deep-rooted but ultimately misleading notions concerning mountain society and its alleged backwardness in the past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521034166
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/14/2006
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Population, Economy and Society in Past Time , #8
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	5.94(w) x 8.94(h) x 0.79(d)

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; List of tables; List of abbreviations; Acknowledgements; Introduction: anthropology, historical demography and the study of mountain societies; 1. Environment, population and social structure: the Alpine village as an ecosystem; 2. Open systems, open questions; 3. Anthropologists in the Alps; 4. The changing demography of Alpine communities; 5. The traditional economy and its demise; 6. The causes and consequences of Alpine emigration; 7. The wealth from the earth: mining and immigration; 8. Population, resources and homeostatic regulation; 9. The domestic domain; 10. Upland communities; A summary of conclusions; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Follows the social, economic, and demographic transformations of the Alpine area from the late middle ages to the present. Draws on historical and anthropological studies to question accepted theories of how people have adapted to the environment, especially as it has changed. Also explores the relative importance of culture and environment in shaping social structures. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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