The European Peasant Family and Society

This historical study examines the European peasant family during the crucial transition from agrarian to industrial society, offering readers a window into the domestic lives and economic strategies of rural households. Rudolph positions the peasant family as both a social unit and an economic engine, exploring how these households navigated changing agricultural practices, inheritance systems, and labor markets. The book demonstrates why peasant studies have become central to social history, showing how major historical debates play out within the sphere of family organization and rural community structures.

What makes this work particularly valuable is its focus on the period of proto-industrialization, when peasant families balanced farming with cottage industries and wage labor. Rudolph provides a nuanced analysis that will appeal to readers interested in economic history, family studies, and the social transformations that shaped modern Europe. The book successfully connects micro-level family decisions to macro-level economic changes, making it essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary people experienced the shift from traditional rural life to emerging industrial society.