Suchergebnisse

East is east and west is west? : population checks in Europe and China -- Nuptiality : one concept, two realities -- Illegitimate births and bridal pregnancy : deviations from societal rules -- Infant mortality : "the massacre of the innocents" -- Fertility : Malthusian reality or proactive behavior?

Historical demographers since Malthus have characterized the West-European and Chinese demographic regimes as systems under low and high pressure, respectively. This volume examines the operation of the positive check at the two ends of the Eurasian continent by taking the Netherlands and Taiwan as representatives of the West-European and Chinese mortality regimes. Are these cases as different as the low and high pressure contrast implies? The volume opens with a cluster of chapters dealing with long term trends in mortality and the accompanying changes in causes of death (Chapters 1 through 4 ). Both Taiwan and the Netherlands witnessed steady improvements in public health, disease prevention, medical care, and living conditions in the periods described; these trends are discussed in Chapters 5 though 8. The third cluster of chapters analyzes the factors affecting maternal and infant mortality (Chapters 9 through 12). Finally, in Chapter 13, the accuracy of Taiwan's censuses and death reporting is assessed. - In dit boek beschrijven auteurs uit de VS, Nederland en Taiwan de historische ontwikkeling van de sterfte in Taiwan en Nederland. De auteurs gebruiken die twee landen als representatief voor de demografische regimes in West Europa en Azië. Volgens de beroemde econoom en demograaf Thomas Malthus is het hoge sterftecijfer in China te verklaren door een structurele overbevolking; de dood als 'positieve check' om de bevolkingsgroei af te remmen. Deze bundel tracht antwoord te geven op deze stelling . Aan bod komen de lange termijn ontwikkeling van sterfte en sterfteoorzaken. Speciale aandacht is er voor de verbetering van de gezondheidszorg in de twee landen en voor de moeder- en kindersterfte. De empirische bijdragen laten de verwachte verschillen zien, maar stuiten ook op opvallende overeenkomsten.

This book adresses an important issue in historical demography - the differences between reproduction in low pressure and high pressure demographic regimes. The existence of such differences was first noted in 1789 by Thomas Malthus when he contrasted the low pressure European regimes with the high pressure regimes found in the less civilized parts of the world, most notably China and Japan. This contrast, long taken as fundamental by historical demographers, has recently been challenged by authors who argue that it should be discarded as Malthusian mythology. The papers included here evaluate the received and revisionist views by comparing reproduction in a high pressure regime - Taiwan during the Japanese occupation - and a low pressure regime - the Netherlands in the years 1830-1920. The papers examine the impact of infant mortality, social class, ethnic identity, illegitimacy, form of marriage, and rural vs. urban settings. Reality or mythology?, that is the question.