Les fratries ont-elles une histoire ? Longtemps oubliees par l'historiographie, elles suscitent aujourd'hui un interet grandissant chez les historiens, dont temoigne cet ouvrage collectif riche d'une trentaine de contributions issues de deux colloques internationaux. Mal connus, freres et soeurs tiennent pourtant une place centrale au sein des relations familiales. En privilegiant la longue duree et un vaste ensemble geographique, de l'Amerique du Nord a l'Europe, les editeurs du volume ont voulu saisir leur histoire en confrontant des systemes de parente differents et en perpetuelle transformation. Definir et mesurer les fratries, les analyser comme une ressource en associant strategies collectives et trajectoires individuelles, vivre et representer la fraternite enfin : autant de pistes suivies par les auteurs attentifs a ne pas oublier les soeurs. Grace a la variete des etudes rassemblees ici, ecrire l'histoire du lien fraternel offre l'opportunite de renouveler l'approche de l'evolution des systemes de parente en meme temps que celle des relations familiales.
Do brotherhood and sisterhood have a history? They have long been forgotten by historiography but now are benefitting from a growing interest from historians. This collective work, with thirty contributions from historians from different countries, testifies to this new interest. Although badly known, brothers and sisters occupy a central place in family relations. By emphasizing the long term and a large geographical area, from North America to Europe, the editors of this volume wish to seize their history by confronting different systems of kinship that are constantly evolving. To define and measure sibling relationships, to analyze them as a resource through the association of collective strategies and individual trajectories, to live and represent brother and sisterhood: these are the paths followed by the authors who have been careful not to forget sisters. Thanks to the variety of the studies assembled here, writing the history of fraternal relations offers the opportunity to renew approaches to the evolution of both kinship and family relations.
