‘Peasantry’ as an economic category

Venezuelan peasants, capitalism, and the modern world‐system

“…Several recent treatments have resulted in what Roseberry refers to as a "deconceptualization" of peasants-that is, a denial of the validity of the term "peasants" to the point that the people themselves disappear from Downloaded by [New York University] at 05:04 12 April 2015 the analyses. He criticizes the ahistorical structural Marxism of Ennew et al ( 1977), Littlejohn ( 1977), and Friedmann (1980), and the role-set analysis of Leeds (1977). Roseberry argues convincingly that a historically sensitive approach is much more fruitful.…”

Perspectives towards investigating Malay peasant ideology and the bases of its production in contemporary Malaysia

“…It is also evident that the new problematics which relate to the understanding of contemporary Third World peasants have been resolved not in the context of old theoretical frameworks, but rather superseded in the context of new theoretical perspectives. The latter (as opposed to the 'descriptive' anthropological mode of analysis which dominates the former) takes the view that the location of Third World peasants can only be adequately theorised and formulated in their structural relationship to capitalism, i.e., in relation to the 'world-historical' expansion into pre-capitalist formations --leading to the eventual destruction of natural economy, and finally the re-constitution of existing peasants (including those who have been 'peasantised' in the process) as producers in a social formation articulated with a dominant capitalist mode of production (see Ennew, Hirst & Tribe, 1977;Bradby, 1975;Bernstein, 1977Bernstein, , 1979Roseberry, 1976Roseberry, , 1978Clarke, 1977;Kahn, 1978a;Boesen, 1979;Meillassoux, 1972Meillassoux, , 1973Deere & de Janvry, 1979). It should, however, be noted that this new theoretical re-formulation was not initially generated by a concern for the 'peasant question' per se, but rather developed mainly as an adjunct to a more general concern with the issues of 'Development and Underdevelopment' in the Third World, associated usually with theorists and scholars attempting to approach them from a Marxist or neo-Marxist perspective.…”

Social bandits, modern capitalism and the traditional peasantry. a critique of Hobsbawm.

“…The first problem is that Hobsbawm fails to specify precisely what is meant by the 'peasantry' who support social bandits. This is an important shortcomings given the judgment by Landsberger [1974:6] and others [Ennew et al, 1977] that definition of the term 'peasant' is a 'thorouglily confused issue'. Indeed this much is admitted by Hobsbawm himself [1973:2-5] when writing on 'Peasants and Politics'.…”