Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Occupational mobility
(2,727 words)

1. Limiting social mobility

The three main forms of social mobility are (1) intergenerational mobility, (2) intragenerational mobility (occupational or career mobility), and (3) marital mobility (Social mobility). In all three, the main indicators are profession, possession (Possession [law]), and social prestige [7]; [9].

During the early modern period, social status at birth was of paramount importance and acted as a brake on all three forms of social mobility (Es…

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Leeuwen, Marco H.D. van, Lesger, Clé and “Occupational mobility”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 03 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_017520>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20200721



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