"An important contribution to major discussions in the area of historical demography. Its basic criticism of structural and historical generalizations fits well into ongoing research efforts to question their theoretical and empirical foundations. Its skepticism of using historical concepts of family history to strengthen 'the myth of the individualistic European Sonderweg' is highly welcome.
This book suggests that currents surveys in Western-language historiographies should be checked carefully for stereotypes about the social and economic history of Southern, Southeastern, and Eastern Europe."
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