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- Title
The Development of Fertility Theories: A Multidisciplinary Endeavour.
- Authors
LERIDON, Henri
- Abstract
Demographers do not merely quantify and describe; they also contribute to theoretical knowledge, drawing inspiration from conceptual frameworks developed in related disciplines. The "Textes fondamentaux" collection published by INED comprises a series of founding texts that illustrate the depth and vigour of demographic thought. Each thematic volume presents a selection of key articles that have marked the history of the discipline. Following an inaugural volume on the theories of migration, the second in the series focuses on the theories of fertility. This new volume is edited by Henri Leridon and his introductory article is reproduced here in full. He compares the different approaches to fertility adopted by thinkers and researchers from the eighteenth century up to the present day. This article retraces the history of fertility theories as illustrated by 23 founding texts grouped together in a single volume (Leridon, 2014, Les théories de la fécondité, INED). Until recent times, no reliable statistics were available for the analysis of fertility behaviours, which were treated rather as a question of philosophy, morals, political science or religion. It was not until the birth of the social sciences in the nineteenth century that the first real theories of fertility started to emerge. At that time, the demographic transition in Europe and the accompanying social and economic transformations gave rise to new demographic behaviours for which a theoretical framework was needed. Many new disciplines were brought into play, including anthropology, sociology, economics, political science and psychology. Paradoxically, demographers were slow to develop theoretical approaches, doubtless because the discipline first made its name as a quantitative science. Indeed, no overarching, generally acknowledged theory of fertility has yet been developed. These different approaches are illustrated through a series of pioneering texts. They present theories drawn from a wide range of disciplines and include analyses from the perspectives of birth control and gender.
- Subjects
BIRTH control; DEMOGRAPHERS; POLITICAL science; SOCIAL sciences; LERIDON, Henri
- Publication
Population (00324663), 2015, Vol 70, Issue 2, p309
- ISSN
0032-4663
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3917/pope.1502.0309