Between the 18th and the end of the 19th century profound
transformations affected the mechanisms of marital relations and the
family all around Western Europe. The present volume focuses on
fundamental aspects of marriage and family as they evolved during this
time-frame, such as attitudes towards consanguinity, classification
systems, the impact of migrations. It aims to demonstrate that the
process that lead to the construction of the contemporary notion of
family saw many changes and continuities, giving rise to unpredictable
and unique outcomes, and partially shaping - although with different
times and modalities - the modern world.