Individuals, Families, and Communities in Europe, 1200-1800: The Urban Foundations of Western Society (Cambridge Studies in Population, Economy and Society in Past Time) [Paperback]

Katherine A. Lynch (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521645417 | ISBN-13: 978-0521645416 | Publication Date: September 8, 2003

Katherine Lynch discusses the role of the family in society from the late Middle Ages to the industrial period. She argues that in western Europe an ongoing, and recognizably western pattern of relationships among individuals, their families, and communities emerged in the late medieval period. Tracing the pattern through the nineteenth century, this study explores the family's function as an organization on the boundary between public and private life, rather than as part of a "private sphere", and how this phenomenon has been influenced by political, religious and demographic factors.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an informative and thought-provoking book that will certainly shape subsequent discussions of the origins of civic consciousness and the emergence of democrary in Western Europe."
- Renaissance Quarterly

"...[this book] has a number of strengths. For newcomers to urban or family history during the medieval and early modern periods, it offers a succinct overview of a vast body of literature. For specialists, Lynch's exploration of the relationship between poor relief, the family, and civic order is fascinating. And for the period prior to the Reformation, Lynch fruitfully compares the experience of women in northern and southern Europe, and demonstrates the importance of church institutions to the foundation and maintenance of secular communities."
- H-Women, Samuel S. Thomas, Department of History, Wittenberg University

Book Description

Katherine Lynch discusses the place of the family in society from the late middle ages to the industrial period, arguing that in western Europe an ongoing, and recognizably western, pattern of relationships among individuals, their families, and communities emerged in the late medieval period, and can be traced well into the nineteenth century. This study explores the family's function as an organization on the boundary between public and private life, rather than as part of a 'private sphere', and how this has been shaped by political, religious and demographic factors.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (September 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521645417
• ISBN-13: 978-0521645416
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,333,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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