Sibling Relations and the Transformations of European Kinship, 1300-1900

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Publisher Marketing: "The study of kinship remains a lively concern among historians, sociologists, and anthropologists. One of the very attractive features of the volume is its crossdisciplinary representation from these fields but also from literature...[and] the mix of senior and junior scholars." . Mary Lindemann, University of Miami "The essays are of uniform excellence and interest, written by established scholars, including very well known scholars; the essays also make a remarkably coherent set...[and] are well focused...the research is valuable, offering original perspectives on a number of issues, from kinship reckoning to industrialization, to emotional history. This is a very useful, and widely cited companion to the previous volume on kinship in Europe, a great introduction to the current research." . William Reddy, Duke University Recently considerable interest has developed about the degree to which anthropological approaches to kinship can be used for the study of the long-term development of European history. From the late middle ages to the dawn of the twentieth century, kinship - rather than declining, as is often assumed - was twice reconfigured in dramatic ways and became increasingly significant as a force in historical change, with remarkable similarities across European society. Applying interdisciplinary approaches from social and cultural history and literature and focusing on sibling relationships, this volume takes up the challenge of examining the systemic and structural development of kinship over the long term by looking at the close inner-familial dynamics of ruling families (the Hohenzollerns), cultural leaders (the Mendelssohns), business and professional classes, and political figures (the Gladstones)in France, Italy, Germany, and England. It offers insight into the current issues in kinship studies and draws from a wide range of personal documents: letters, autobiographies, testaments, memoirs, as well as genealogies and works of art. Review Citations:

Reference and Research Bk News 08/01/2011 pg. 93 (EAN 9781845457693, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Johnson, Christopher H Christopher H. Johnson is Professor Emeritus of History at Wayne State University. A National Book Award nominee and Guggenheim Fellow, his publications include The Life and Death of Industrial Languedoc, 1700-1920: The Politics of De-Industrialization (1995). Contributor Bio:  Sabean, David Warren David Sabean is the Henry J. Bruman Endowed Professor of German History at the University of California at Los Angeles.