The circulation of children in rural Ireland during the first half of the twentieth century

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the interactions amongst family, household and extended kin through an examination of two ‘circulations’ of children within rural Irish communities during the first half of the twentieth century: (1) the daily journey from home to school; (2) going to live with relatives other than parents. Drawing on life-history narratives, the article develops a new perspective on the stem-family system in Ireland by showing how ‘incomplete’ family households formed integral parts of local kinship circles and were deeply engaged in the everyday lives of ‘complete’ family households, including the promotion of extended family survival and social mobility. La circulation des enfants en Irlande rurale au cours de la première moitié du XXe siècle Les interactions entre famille, ménage et parenté élargie sont analysées grâce à l’étude des enfants qui « circulent » au sein des communautés rurales irlandaises, au cours de la première moitié du XXe siècle. Deux types de circulation sont examinés : d'une part le trajet quotidien des enfants entre la maison et l’école et d'autre part le fait pour certains d'aller vivre chez des membres de la famille autres que leurs père et mère. S'appuyant sur des récits d'histoire de vie, l'auteur propose une nouvelle perspective sur le système de la famille-souche en Irlande, montrant comment des ménages familiaux « incomplets » faisaient cependant partie intégrante de cercles de parenté locaux et étaient profondément liés à la vie quotidienne de ménages à structure familiale «complète », ce qui permettait d’œuvrer à la survie de la famille élargie et à la mobilité sociale. Die Zirkulation von Kindern im ländlichen Irland in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts Dieser Beitrag analysiert die Interaktionen zwischen Familie, Haushalt und erweiterter Verwandtschaft, indem er zwei Formen der ‚Zirkulation‘ von Kindern innerhalb ländlicher Gemeinden in Irland in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts näher untersucht: (1) der tägliche Weg von Zuhause zur Schule; (2) die Unterbringung bei Verwandten außerhalb des Elternhauses. Er greift auf lebensgeschichtliche Erzählungen zurück und eröffnet dadurch eine neue Perspektive auf das Stammfamiliensystem in Irland. Es zeigt sich nämlich, dass ‚unvollständige‘ Familienhaushalte integrale Bestandteile der örtlichen Verwandtschaftskreise waren und mit dem Alltagsleben ‚vollständiger‘ Familienhaushalte eng verknüpft waren, indem sie unter anderem das Überleben der erweiterten Familie und die soziale Mobilität beförderten.

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