Bruksarbetare vid barndop? : En studie av sociala relationer på Ölands alunbruk under första hälften av 1800-talet

Sammanfattning

The aim of this essay is to study the social relations at Öland’s alunbruk, which will be executed by analyzing the constellation of baptismal witnesses during 1809-1843. By examining what birth- and baptismal books reveal about social relations at Ölands alunbruk, new knowledge about the workers’ everyday lives and its social structure can be disclosed. In line with the network analysis, a quantitative method has been implemented to examine the constellation of bapismal witnesses from six years, during the period of 1809-1843. To facilitate the interpretation of the study, theories of pre-industrial relations and patriarchalism are discussed and applied. The results show that the workers social relations were confined to the alunbruk to a large extent, with some exceptions where social relations were established outside the alunbruk. Another significant finding of this essay is that the analysed material indicates a non-existing social relationship between worker and inspector at the alunbruk.