Abstract
The theoretical basis of this article is the concept of ecotypes, as it has been developed by Scandinavian cultural anthropologists. With quantitative as well as qualitative sources from the eastern Alpine region, the idea of ecotypes is used to investigate the relationship between family structure and labor organization in agricultural society. An implication of this study is that protoindustrialization theory must be modified, differentiated, and expanded. The large variety of family forms of peasants and smallholders, as they are shaped by the organization of labor, is contrasted to the simplified model of a peasant and protoindustrial family economy.
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