CHAPTER 21 - The Influence of Social and Geographical Mobility on the Stability of Kinship Systems: The Serbian Case

Abstract

This chapter discusses the influence of social and geographical mobility on the stability of kinship systems. An investigation of the relationship between economic and familial change in Serbia requires certain kinds of data and argumentation. (1) It must be established that economic change occurred. (2) One must know or estimate the nature of familial life before the economic changes began. (3) One must measure the nature of familial life at some point after the economic changes have begun. The occupational mobility of Belgrade workers and thus, in large part their geographical mobility, given the rural origins of most of them, has been a response to the fluctuating cycle of economic development. In periods of economic stagnation and low investment, new workers were recruited into positions similar to or lower than those of their fathers. In periods of economic growth, new workers were generally recruited into positions above those held by their fathers, so that initial mobility was usually positive.