Framing the Polish Family in the Past

This volume explores how families in different contexts shaped the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and its successor states, pre-partitioned and post-partitioned Poland, using a diverse range of sources and research methods. It spans several centuries and covers a region from the river Oder to the Black Sea, making it a significant contribution to the historiography of East Central Europe.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive volume explores the profound impact of families in various contexts – noble, urban, legal, and religious – across different historical periods, from the late Middle Ages to the modern era. Contributors employ a diverse range of sources, including rural and urban court registers, church records, and population surveys, to examine the economic foundations of families, as well as the dynamics of marital and family conflicts. By employing innovative research methods, including sociological frameworks like life-cycle and life-course analysis and anthropological approaches to reconstruct kinship within communities, the contributors shed light on families led by men and single women alike. Spanning several centuries and traversing the territories from the river Oder to the Black Sea, the Baltic, Lithuania, Belarus, and the Ukrainian borderlands, this volume constitutes a significant contribution to the historiography of East Central Europe, a region often overlooked in narratives of European history.

The study of families in the past has been a rich field of inquiry, shedding light on the complex social, economic, and cultural dynamics that shaped societies. This volume, Framing the Polish Family in the Past, contributes to this body of knowledge by examining the role of families in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and its successor states, pre-partitioned and post-partitioned Poland.

The contributors to this volume draw on a diverse range of sources, including rural and urban court registers, church records, and population surveys, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the economic bases of families and the various conflicts that they experienced. By analyzing these sources, the contributors are able to characterize families led not only by men but also by single women, challenging traditional narratives that often marginalized the contributions of women in the past.

One of the key approaches employed in this volume is the use of life-cycle and life-course analysis, which allows the contributors to trace the development and evolution of families over time. This approach provides a nuanced understanding of family structures and relationships, highlighting the changing roles and responsibilities of individuals within families as they navigate different stages of their lives.

In addition to sociological frameworks, the contributors also employ anthropological methods to reconstruct kinship within communities. By analyzing the social and cultural practices of families, the contributors are able to shed light on the complex web of relationships that existed within these communities and the ways in which families interacted with each other and with broader social structures.

The geographical scope of this volume is significant, spanning several centuries and covering a vast territory from the river Oder to the Black Sea, the Baltic, Lithuania, Belarus, and the Ukrainian borderlands. This broad coverage allows the contributors to provide a comprehensive understanding of the diverse experiences and challenges faced by families across different regions and periods.

Framing the Polish Family in the Past is a valuable resource for researchers and students alike in Polish and Lithuanian History, Medieval and Early Modern Society and Culture. The comprehensive nature of the volume and the innovative research methods employed make it an essential addition to the literature on East Central Europe, a region often overlooked in histories of Europe. By examining the role of families in the past, this volume contributes to our understanding of the complex social, economic, and cultural dynamics that have shaped our world.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367673246