Trajetórias de vida. Nascer nos Açores no século XVIII. Abordagem demográfica

Demographic research on the 18th century is very difficult in Portugal, mainly due to the under-recording of deaths of children under seven years of age. In the case of systematic recording of parish events, the monitoring of life paths in defined spaces and periods allows us the most successful approach to the balance of demographic variables and understanding of their effects on population growth. The Azores, due to the diversity of behaviours, even between neighbouring islands, is an extraordinary laboratory of analysis for the demographic historian. In a context of near-natural fertility, important compensatory behaviours to a high life expectancy, such as emigration and high ages at first marriage, or even mortality crises, may not be sufficient barriers to growth