Peasants

Abstract

After briefly synthesizing classical Marxist and Chayanovian views on the peasantry this chapter provides a comprehensive definition of peasant agriculture that meets the characteristics of the 21st Century. In doing so three theoretical axes are decisive. The first regards the specificity of peasant agriculture (as opposed to capitalist and entrepreneurial agriculture). The second axis regards the agency of peasant farmers. The third focuses on the internal composition of the peasant household and family, in which gender relations are decisive. The chapter closes with an elaboration of new research questions and some lessons learned.