This book tells the story of one society's remarkable experience when Italians in the late 1990s attained the
lowest birthrate per women of any nation in the world. This case study draws on two years of ethnographic fieldwork
over a five year period, to examine the conflicts as well as the possibility that this trend in family-making has
created for an otherwise family-centered culture. Krause's innovative project seeks to understand a pressing contemporary
issue, and the 'story' she tells takes readers behind the scenes of demographic numbers to reveal what aggregate
statistics cannot--a cultural 'politics of population' in which Italians struggle over the meanings of family and
children in contemporary society. The reader will gain an in-depth understanding of why Italy's birthrate has fallen
so low and what this means for Italians as individuals and Italy as a society and how reproduction has become politicized.
The author finds answers in intensely personal dialogues with ordinary people ranging from sweater-makers to counts,
and aging bachelors to doting mothers. Their life experiences reveal how a silent revolution against patriarchy
reshapes social and sexual morality to create new imperatives for family making. The author hopes to prompt different
and critical thinking about populations and the cultural struggles related to the politics of everyday life in
modern society.
Benefits:
In the context of a nationally declining birthrate, this book focuses on the value Italians place on family
and children and addresses both the reasons for the decline and the impact it has had on individuals and the society.
By examining comparative and global perspectives on the cultural politics of population, Krause encourages
the reader to think critically and differently about demographics, cultural struggles, and the politics related
to everyday life in modern society.
Grounded in kinship, family, and sexuality, this case study promises to spark interest and debate, as it challenges
ethnocentric assumptions about the nature of family and politics in Italy and other European nations.
Intimate, life history narratives and dialogues support the main themes of each chapter, making the book both
intellectually and emotionally appealing to readers.
Krause challenges the "scientific discourse" of demography by offering cultural interpretations and
analysis to achieve deeper understandings of family and sexuality in society.
