Europe's "Green Ring" De-peasantisation in the Rural Fringe

About this book

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 characterized 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 an 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 industrialization, political integration and globalization. The book focuses on agrarian transformation as 'de-' (sometimes 're-')peasantization - referring to the changing economic, social, cultural and political positions of farmers and food production workers. It also problematizes the standard models of rural and opens up discussion of the problems these models pose for the farmers of green ring countries.

Contents

Part 1 Central and Eastern European countries in the green ring: de-peasantization? - changing rural social structures in Poland after World War II; de-peasantization of Hungarian rurality; the changing role of agriculture in the Czech countryside; the problematic past - interpreting rural change in Bulgarian transitions; Soviet patrimonialism and peasant resistance during the transition - the case of Estonia; rural transition problems and post-socialist peasantization in the Russian forest periphery; post-traditional or post-modern rurality? - cases from East Germany and Russia. Part 2 Mediterranean countries in the green ring: the de-agriculturalization of the Greek countryside - the changing characteristics of an ongoing socio-economic transformation; shifting rurality - the Spanish countryside after de-peasantization and de-agrarianisation; Portugal - the emergence of the "rural question"; reconstructing rurality in Mediterranean Italy. Part 3 The green ring in the north of Europe: peasantization and beyond in Finland and Scandinavia; creating and re-creating modernity - peasantization and de-peasantization in Ireland; societal paradigms and rural development - a theoretical framework for comparative studies. Part 4 The future of peasants in Europe's green ring: afterword.

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