Around the fringe of Europe lies a "green ring" of countries which have followed different pathways into modernity from the industrial core of the continent and have, until recently, been characterised by a strong agrarian presence in their politics, economy and culture. This book brings together case studies from both the post-socialist countries and EU member states which make up the "green ring" to compare experiences of rural and agricultural groups. It provides a fascinating opportunity to identify similarities and contrasts in the ways in which these countries have managed their rural areas when faced with the challenges set by industrialisation, political integration and globalisation. The book focuses on agrarian transformation as "de-" (and sometimes "re-") peasantisation - referring to the changing economic, social, cultural and political positions of farmers and food production workers. It also problematises the standard rural models and opens up discussion of the problems these models pose for the farmers of the green ring countries.
Contributors in social sciences, regional planning, human ecology, agricultural economics, and rural sociology examine peasantization and de-peasantization (the making and unmaking of peasant agriculture) in 14 post-socialist countries and EU member states which have followed paths different from the early industrializing European core. They discuss different ways of theorizing de-peasantization, outline the history of de-peasantization in different European societies, and look at ways in which these countries have managed their rural areas when faced with industrialization, political integration, and globalization. Granberg is affiliated with the University of Helsinki, Finland. Material originated at a 1998 workshop held in VeszprTm, Hungary. This work lacks a subject index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Contents: Central and Eastern European Countries in the Green Ring:
De-peasantization or re-peasantization? changing rural social structures in
Poland after World War II, Krzystof Gorlach and Pawel Starosta;
De-peasantization of Hungarian rurality, Imre KovƔch; The changing role of
agriculture in the Czech countryside, VĆŖra MajerovĆ”; Rural change in
Bulgarian transitions, Bob Begg and Mieke Meurs; Soviet patrimonialism and
peasant resistance during the transition - the case of Estonia, Ilkka Alanen;
Rural transition problems and post-socialist peasantization in the Russian
forest periphery, Eira Varis; Post-traditional or post-modern rurality? cases
from East Germany and Russia, Karl Bruckmeier and Marina Olegowna Koptina.
Mediterranean Countries in the Green Ring: The de-agriculturalization of the
Greek countryside: the changing characteristics of an ongoing socio-economic
transformation, Charalambos Kasimis and Apostolos G. Papadopoulos; Shifting
rurality: the Spanish countryside after de-peasantization and
de-agrarianistion, JesĆŗs Oliva and Luis A. Camarero; Portugal: the emergence
of the rural question, Isabel Rodrigo and Manuel Belo Moreira;
Reconstructing rurality in Mediterranean Italy, Maria Fonte. The Green Ring
in the North of Europe: Peasantization and beyond in Finland and Scandinavia,
Leo Granberg and Matti Peltonen; Creating and re-creating modernity:
peasantization and de-peasantization in Ireland, Hilary Tovey; Societal
paradigms and rural development - a theoretical framework for comparative
studies, Ivar Jonsson. The Future of Peasants in Europes Green Ring:
Afterword, Leo Granberg, Imre KovƔch and Hilary Tovey.
Contributors: Krzystof Gorlach, Pawel Starosta, Imre Kovach, Vera Majerova, Bob Begg, Mieke Meurs, Ilkka Alanen, Eira Varis, Karl Bruckmeier, Marina Olegowna Koptina, Charalambos Kasimis, Apostolos G. Papadopoulos, Jesus Oliva, Luis A. Camarero, Isabel Rodrigo, Manuel Belo Moreira, Maria Fonte, Leo Granberg, Matti Peltonen, Ivar Jonsson, Hilary Tovey.
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