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Migration and the Household Economy of the Poor in Catalonia, c.1762–1803

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Gender and Migration in Historical Perspective

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Abstract

Migration was a key element in the ‘economy of makeshifts’ of the poor. We examine such migration through a case study of late eighteenth-century Catalonia. We identify areas where seasonal migration formed an important part of the household economy of the poor, and explore how this migration fitted into local labour markets. We also use records for the men, women and children admitted to the Barcelona workhouse over the period 1762–1803. We compare those born inside the city with those born elsewhere. We show that migration varied by gender, age, occupational background and place of origin. In particular, we show how migrant flows into Barcelona were determined by the demand for male and female labour and by the local economy of these places of origin.

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Acknowledgements

A first version of this paper was presented as part of the ‘Migration and Gender’ workshop, held at the University of Cambridge on 8–10 November 2018, and at the XXXXVIII Meeting of APHES (Portuguese Association of Economic and Social History) Gender in Economic and Social History, November 16 and 17 2018, University of Lisbon. We would like to thank the organisers and participants for their comments and criticisms. All their suggestions have greatly contributed to improving this study, and any errors are the sole responsibility of the authors. This article is part of research projects funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, ‘Mundos del trabajo en transición (1750–1930): cualificación, movilidad y desigualdades’ (HAR2017-84030-P) and ‘¿Capitalismo mediterraneo? Ëxitos y fracasos del Desarrollo manufacturero en España, 1720-2020’ (PGC2018-093896-B-I00).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Montserrat Carbonell-Esteller

  2. Durham University, Durham, UK

    Julie Marfany

  3. Open University of Catalonia and Center for Demographic Studies, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain

    Joana Maria Pujadas-Mora

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  1. Montserrat Carbonell-Esteller
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  2. Julie Marfany
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Correspondence to Julie Marfany .

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  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche, Geografiche e dell’Antichità, DiSSGeA, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Beatrice Zucca Micheletto

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Carbonell-Esteller, M., Marfany, J., Pujadas-Mora, J.M. (2022). Migration and the Household Economy of the Poor in Catalonia, c.1762–1803. In: Zucca Micheletto, B. (eds) Gender and Migration in Historical Perspective. Palgrave Studies in Economic History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99554-6_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99554-6_10

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