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Main description: Obwohl viele Forscher bisher kritisch auf die 1960 von Philippe Ariès entwickelten Thesen zur Geschichte der Kindheit eingegangen sind, bietet erst dieser Band eine umfassende, interdisziplinär angelegte, sowohl mentalitäts- als auch emotionsgeschichtlich orientierte Sammlung von Studien, die überzeugend nachweisen, wie sehr auch in der Vormoderne die Beziehung zwischen Eltern und Kindern ein fundamentales Element der europäischen Gesellschaft gewesen ist. Main description: Although many researchers have taken a critical stance towards the theses on the history of childhood developed by Philippe Ariès in 1960, this volume is the first comprehensive collection of studies with a psychological and emotional historical orientation to demonstrate convincingly the extent to which the relationship between parents and children was a fundamental element of European society in pre-modern times. Biographical note: Albrecht Classen ist University Distinguished Professor an der University of Arizona, Department of German Studies, Tucson, AZ, USA. Biographical note: Albrecht Classen is University Distinguished Professor at the University of Arizona, Department of German Studies, Tucson, AZ, USA. Review text: "[...] this is an anthology of substantial weight."Daniel T. Kline in: www.h-net.org/reviews10/2008 In short, this volume will certainly become an important reference for research on childhood and its perception in medieval and early modern society."Steven Vanderputten in: Mediaevistik 20/2007 Earlier theses on the history of childhood can now be laid to rest and a fundamental paradigm shift initiated, as there is an overwhelming body of evidence to show that in medieval and early modern times too there were close emotional relations between parents and children. The contributors to this volume demonstrate conclusively on the one hand how intensively parents concerned themselves with their children in the pre-modern era, and on the other which social, political and religious conditions shaped these relationships. These studies in emotional history demonstrate how easy it is for a subjective choice of sources, coupled with faulty interpretations – caused mainly by modern prejudices toward the Middle Ages in particular – to lead to the view that in the past children were regarded as small adults. The contributors demonstrate convincingly that intense feelings – admittedly often different in nature – shaped the relationship between adults and children. Albrecht Classen is University Distinguished Professor at the University of Arizona, Department of German Studies, Tucson, AZ, USA.
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