The Rational Peasant [antikvár]

PrefaceS'OME REPRESENTATIONS of preindustrial society idealize life in peasant villages. These romantic portraits of peasant life are greatly overdrawn and mislead us into thinking that the transformation of these societies is forced on the peasants and is always detrimental to their collective welfare. Exaggerating the virtues of the precapitalist village also results in erroneous diagnoses of the ailments of contemporary peasant society; these diagnoses lead in turn to misguided programs to remedy the ills. To understand the historical transformations of rural society and to develop effective programs for improving peasant welfare, we need to begin with a more accurate view of peasants and their institutions.I propose a view of the peasant as a rational problem-solver, with a sense both of his own interests and of the need to bargain with others to achieve mutually acceptable outcomes. I hope to leave the reader not with pity for peasants or with a longing to recapture their