Time and space in historical demography: some case studies using Dutch micro-data

Novel approaches to time and space that are gaining ground in the field of demography have been coming up at a time in which historical demographers are getting access to new, much larger and more fine-grained data that stretch over long periods of time and cover vast areas. This thesis presents four case studies of historical demographic topics on the Netherlands using such newly available sources of historical micro-level demographic data. The case studies aim to provide a varied picture of the possibilities of the use of these historical Dutch micro-level demographic data in studying demographic events in a spatial and temporal context. The case studies cover a mix of regions and periods and use different microdata sources. The first case study deals with the impact of heat waves and cold spells on mortality in the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century in the Netherlands using individual death records. The second case study focuses on the changing geography of the Dutch marriage market in the nineteenth and early twentieth century using individual marriage records. The third case study is about the effects of religion, social class, and space on infant mortality in mid-nineteenth century Amsterdam using individual birth, death, and population register records. The last case study is on war-related mortality among the civilian population in the Netherlands during the last stage of World War II using individual causes of death registry data.