Migration, Settlement and Belonging in Europe, 1500–1930s

The issues around settlement, belonging, and poor relief have for too long been understood largely from the perspective of England and Wales. This volume offers a pan-European survey that encompasses Switzerland, Prussia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Britain. It explores how the conception of belonging changed over time and space from the 1500s onwards, how communities dealt with the welfare expectations of an increasingly mobile population that migrated both within and between states, the welfare rights that were attached to those who “belonged,” and how ordinary people secured access to welfare resources. What emerged was a sophisticated European settlement system, which on the one hand structured itself to limit the claims of the poor, and yet on the other was peculiarly sensitive to their demands and negotiations.

Steven King is Professor of Medical Humanities and Economic History at the University of Leicester. He has published widely on the history of demography, poverty, and welfare. Some of his most recent publications include articles in the Journal of Family History and Annales HSS.

Anne Winter is Lecturer and Francqui Research Professor in the history department of the Vrije Universiteit-Brussel. Her publications include Migrants and Urban Change: Newcomers to Antwerp, 1760-1860 (Pickering & Chatto, 2009) and Gated Communities? Regulating Migration in Early Modern Cities (with Bert De Munck, Ashgate, 2012).

“…a valuable and engaging contribution to historical debates about labor, poverty, relief, and belonging…[The papers] are written by leaders in their fields…and pulled together [by the editors] in an elegant and convincing treatment of the case for such a geographical spread.”  ·  Alannah Tomkins, University of Keele

“…a very valuable collection of articles on an important subject of social history in the long period running from the end of the Middle Ages to the 20th century…[Of particular interest] for an Anglo-American readership is the innovative comparative perspective that must be seen as a substantial contribution to the ongoing international research on poverty, poor relief and migration in Europe… All articles are of good, very good or outstanding academic quality.”  ·  Lutz Raphael, Trier University