Marriage And The Family In Eurasia: Perspectives On The Hajnal Hypothesis

Marriage And The Family In Eurasia: Perspectives On The Hajnal Hypothesis

This is the first volume of a projected series aimed at comparing the demographic regimes of two parts of Europe and China in late traditional times. Ever since the publication of John Hajnal's 1965 seminal paper on the European marriage pattern, the demographic history of the world has been divided into what demographers characterize as "preventive" and "positive" regimes. Essentially, these perspectives have to do with whether demographers consider population growth to be problematic or not. This volume traces the origins of Hajnal's position to Malthus and others, and places the European marriage pattern in the context of the demographic transition theory. This volume provides an up-to-date survey of one of the most important issues in demographic history, from specialists from all over the world.