Aedermannsdorf

This broadly conceived monograph on a community of 500 souls in the Solothurn district of Thal faces the methodological challenge of adequately representing the complex interrelationships between living, production, and power conditions, as well as the experiences and behaviors of those affected.

Initially, structural themes are at the forefront, supported by a historical-demographic study and an analysis of social stratification and economic development. The subsequent investigation includes not only the organization of the municipal administration, including welfare services, but also the networks of clientele and kinship, and especially the households. Finally, the value patterns, rituals, and norms that shaped everyday life in the village are examined. It demonstrates how people experienced the described social and economic developments and how they reacted; the role of the Catholic Church and the school as socialization institutions is also analyzed.

Thus, the manageable local unit is analyzed both through the evaluation of serial sources and with the help of prosopographic methods, while cultural meanings and possibilities are reconstructed. In line with the self-understanding of microhistorical research, it is not the subject of investigation that is small, but the observational scale is reduced. The study reveals a wealth of surprising detailed insights.

On the other hand, particularly regarding the overarching theme of Aedermannsdorf's history in the 19th century, the impoverishment of a large part of the population, it becomes evident that this agrarian community was not a closed, autonomous microcosm. The local impacts of economic crises depended on how the municipal authorities, especially in welfare services, and individual members of the village community responded to these challenges.