Original scientific paper
Delayed Demographic Transition: The Population of Lisac in Dubrovačko Primorje (1870-1880)
Marija Gjurašić
Minela Fulurija
Nenad Vekarić
Abstract
Although much of the territory of the former Dubrovnik Republic had experienced the process of demographic transition before the rest of Croatia, Lisac deviated from this pattern in the sense that the process began later—in 1878 to be precise. The reasons underlying this delay should be sought, apart from the fact that Lisac was one of the most remote rural parishes located in the mountains, in the influence from the bordering Herzegovina, where the ongoing events (Herzegovinian rebellion) contributed to the mutation of the demographic picture. The attributes of the natural population dynamic—high natality and mortality rates (over 40‰)—clearly show that Lisac was still in the pretransitional period. The mortality transition had a sudden onset, with the rate below 26‰ in 1878. High infant mortality also characterised the pre-transitional phase, suggesting that health and sanitary changes had not yet reached this area. Conception and marriage patterns generally correspond to the major Dubrovnik trend. The rural community of Lisac made a clear distinction between ‘reproduction season’ and ‘farm work season’. A larger number of children was conceived between December and June than in the period July- November. One-quarter of the children were conceived in May and June, these months also having the lowest mortality rate. Marriages exhibited a marked autumn peak. The ratio of premarital conceptions (over 34%), significantly above the average of the Croatian rural communities and practically on the level of Dubrovnik and south-Dalmatian islands, indicates that even the most conservative area of the Dubrovnik region failed to observe the church norms governing premarital sexual relations.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
39130
URI
Publication date:
10.6.2009.
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