Volume editorial board Eric Vanhaute (Ghent University, Belgium), Isabelle Devos (Ghent University, Belgium), Thijs Lambrecht (Ghent University, Belgium) (directors) Gerard Beaur (CNRS/EHESS, France), Georg Fertig (University of Munster, Germany), Carl-Johan Gadd (University of Gothenburg, Sweden), Erwin Karel (University of Groningen, The Netherlands), Michael Limberger (Ghent University, Belgium), Richard Paping (University of Groningen, The Netherlands), Phillipp Schofield (Aberystwyth University, Wales UK). The central issue in this volume is the relation and the interaction between production, reproduction and labour in rural societies. The main questions concern the way in which resources became available to the rural family and to its members, and the strategies which were employed to generate these resources. The goal is to interpret household formation and the economic behaviour of its members within the context of the structural features of the regional social agro-system. Two sets of research questions structure the chapters in this book. The first set evaluates the impact of these processes on the family as a unit (of reproduction and production) and the relationships between its members (internal family relations). These issues are essentially dealt with from a socio-demographic perspective. The second set of questions aims to understand how families adapted their behaviour to changing social and economic circumstances. These topics are studied from a predominantly socio-economic perspective.