1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910782185603321

Autore

McQuillan Kevin

Titolo

Culture, religion, and demographic behaviour [[electronic resource] ] : Catholics and Lutherans in Alsace, 1750-1870 / / Kevin McQuillan

Pubbl/distr/stampa

[Liverpool, Eng.], : Liverpool University Press

Montreal [Que.], : McGill-Queen's University Press, c1999

ISBN

1-282-85815-7

9786612858154

0-7735-6792-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (250 p.)

Collana

McGill-Queen's studies in the history of religion

Disciplina

304.6/0944/38309033

Soggetti

Catholics - France - Alsace - History - 18th century

Lutherans - France - Alsace - History - 18th century

Catholics - France - Alsace - History - 19th century

Lutherans - France - Alsace - History - 19th century

Alsace (France) Population History 18th century

Alsace (France) Population History 19th century

Alsace (France) Religion 18th century

Alsace (France) Religion 19th century

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front Matter -- Contents -- Tables -- Figures -- Acknowledgmentsd -- Culture, Religion, and Demographic Behaviour -- Alsace: Economic and Social Structures -- Marriage and Remarriage -- Illegitimacy and Bridal Pregnancy -- Marital Fertility -- Infant and Child Mortality -- Conclusion -- Issues of Data Quality and Method -- Notes -- References -- Index -- McGill-Queen's Studies in The History of Religion

Sommario/riassunto

McQuillan shows that the population of the once largely German-speaking region of Alsace was sharply divided into two major religious communities, one Catholic, the other Lutheran. Religion was a central source of identity and a filter through which the political struggles associated with the integration of the region into French society were



perceived. The five communities McQuillan studies represent both the religious division in the region and the varying economic circumstances of the population. His analysis of the demographic record of these communities is based on a family reconstitution analysis, which permits a detailed study of patterns of marriage, illegitimacy, marital fertility, and childhood mortality. A wealth of demographic research attests to the fact that theological differences between religious groups on matters of marriage or sexuality do not necessarily lead to differences in demographic behaviour. McQuillan argues that religion mattered in the Alsatian case because religious affiliation became a central element of social identity. Over time this resulted in what historians have called the "confessionalization" of the population. It also meant that the far-reaching political changes that affected France and Alsace in the period 1750-1870 were seen by the population through the lens of religion. Not only a case study of Alsace but an exploration of the more general issue of the role of religion in promoting or delaying demographic change, Culture, Religion, and Demographic Behaviour will be of great interest to students in the fields of population, religion, and social change.