TOWARDS A NEW MAP OF HOUSEHOLD FORMATION AND CORESIDENCE PATTERNS IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

ince Frédéric Le Play’s map of household types in Europe (1855) several maps detailing the distribution of joint families or “zadrugas” (Botev, 1990; Kaser, 1995; Todorova, 1993) within the area of the patriarchal régime in Southeastern Europe (Cvijić, 1918) have been published. Additionally, Karl Kaser published a map about household formation patterns in historical Southeastern Europe (1996). However, all these maps have several limitations. They are based on a limited number of cases and primarily focus on joint families. They do not utilize microdata or a life-course approach. Furthermore, these maps only represent dominant characteristics, often excluding urban populations. Pan-European comparisons based on the existing NAPP and Mosaic data collections show a more detailed picture of European household formation systems and co-residence patterns than postulated earlier. They reveal a great deal of variation on both sides of the Hajnal-line (Hajnal, 1982): A simple black-and-white scheme is not sufficient for capturing the whole picture (see Szołtysek, Ogórek, Poniat, Gruber 2019; Szołtysek, Ogórek, Poniat, Gruber 2020). The availability of new historical microdata from Southeastern Europe allows us to refine and update these maps. These updated maps will be based on samples from the following censuses: Wallachia 1838: The first census of Romania, which is almost completely preserved. Bessarabia 1850: A Russian revision list, largely preserved for the territory of present-day Republic of Moldova. Serbia 1863: The first Serbian census to enumerate women individually, preserved to a significant degree. Montenegro 1879: The first Montenegrin Census, partially preserved. Albania 1918: The first Albanian census, which is almost completely preserved. These maps will utilize measures derived from individual characteristics rather than household measures. Variables related to marriage patterns, household formation, and co-residence will be mapped, culminating in a comprehensive map of these combined measures.