Habitants

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A certain group of immigrants was referred to in different contexts as Habitants ( Latin habitantes = residents) .

Switzerland

As Habitants in were the Middle Ages , the immigrants in the city of Geneva called settling, work and were able to get married. However, the Habitants had no political rights and could not take part in elections and referendums . From the 16th century onwards, the Habitants' residence certificate had to be approved by the city council and paid for with a deposit to the "Hôpital général". The children of a Habitant who were born in Geneva were called natifs ( Latin nati = children).

In 1781 they made up 46% of the city's population.

In the course of the Geneva Revolutions at the end of the 18th century, the Natifs achieved an economic and political betterment.

Canada

There was an identical name from the 17th century in the Canadian province of Québec . There, settlers, mostly farmers who immigrated from France and settled in the area of ​​the St. Lawrence Gulf and the St. Lawrence River , were referred to as Habitants ( French habitant (m.) = Inhabitant). From the early 20th century in Canada, the term was changed to Agriculteur (farmer) or Producteur agricole (agricultural producer).

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  • Paul-Frédéric Geisendorf: Livre des habitants de Genève . 2 volumes, Genève 1957–1963 (= Travaux d'Humanisme et Renaissance , vols. 26 and 56).
  • Alfred Perrenoud, Geneviève Perret: Livre des habitants de Genève, 1684–1792 . Geneva 1985.
  • Allan Greer: The people of New France . University of Toronto Press, Toronto 1997, ISBN 0-8020-0826-7 .

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