SANT SOCIET ader JACK M, POTTER DWN AND COMPANY BOSTONInrRopverroN Waar Is 4 Peasant? George M. Foster id he regarded the topie— which 800-page book —as an almost inci ‘To the average reader the word “peasant connotes a historical, social 1d econo’ peasants as peoples | and ies, He felt asantry Introduction: What Is a Peasant? ‘on a small scale, with simple equipment and market or relying on what they produce for their subsistence” (1946:22) Even earlier, John Embree, in writing about a Japanese village, recog: nized that peasants are a distinctive societal type: “A peasant community possesses many of the cl mate local group, sion some deified aspect of agricoltural seasons, While ft are not indigenous to the com only recently’ ccept in Krocber’s 1948 n the index of no general jpology texts peasants, If formal recog formation on peasant 1am’s Albanian writings (eg., 1910, 1928) de ips the richest source of a remarkable series of mé during the years 1900 to 1916. These mon derecho consuetudi stomary law, are ethnographies. The Irish Country though not castWisers’ wonde hed 1934). Arth America, La Poblacién late Mexican anthropologist historical they had seen ‘appeats to us to be the confu as written ab in America, fist called peasants of Tepoztlén: A Study of Folk the greater apprépri Introduction: What Is a Peasant? 5 sufciency is implicit or explicit re that stressing occupation he really important diagnostic ‘These may be found by exploring Krocber’s defini tion: “OF wh terme oF the city are not ie they usually make their rimary contacts ate-with the members of per socio-economic groups, ‘The. peasant, Rediield believed, was, like the primitive tribesmain; by gentry ot townspeople whose red form” (1956:31) lyze peasant societies emphasize a structural rela ip between village and city, wit ic, political, often. temporal characteristics, In 1953, one of the volume describ that period, he larger social unit (ust structured. The peasa spatial-tempor formed by the up; nd commerce and craft is commonly used, a 1960=196T-175) Jinds us that “definitions are toolsitis the ‘writing. tural peo rer hand, aze thought too, to speak of a contemporary peas ‘of Europez proletar ples of Crone M. Fosrn Introduction: What Is a Peasant? field 1956:45-44 1956:1075-1076), and pologists, their role is media 1¢ more powerf ‘that kinship or semi- ¢ used, and some Of the ce Kinship are dis tail, and are il dings, in the sect structure. roworthy that the peasant is is held in some mysterexplorted t asc, for sities 1 want to they have position docs Titel editors of i fabries lements have Altered heir own tradition of several centuries tof this concept The Wisers ers: “Tn the 8 ps is affected by 1 Redfield Detween the: sunseflective ‘grass-roots” creation, produced by reness and vigor. Peasant societies are ‘peas ature, by implication seems to end imperfectly what lationships. Vor, if we exam struck byGronce M. Fosran ission. In lesser degree — perhaps especial wl the other arts — there is a return ow. Creative 1 Great ‘Tradition of a particular society often look to their rural peoples ag ‘We with to express our opiniai think there is often confusion, Peasant society id 1930:217, Casagn ‘The words the idea of the wom, which we feel is not societies. Peasant s0- Cieties do not exist beea cf the concept) can that a societal type from the begi people who have peasants — Hike pri ‘way invalidates their right to be studied as a ique form. ‘The second poi n peasants former is in significant Introduction: What Is a Peasant? a3 , as we have seen, is inseparable from the concept of a peasantry. 1¢ Social Organ ‘of Tradition,” Robert Redfield offers a mode] — the Great Tradition versus the Little now widely accepted by anthropologists to conceptualize the relationship between the cultures sn materials, directs farmers who market a part of their produce in towns are automatically peasants, In the ques- se African Cultivators to Be Called ‘Peasants’?” he concludes that whereas the term is and a political sense, in a cultural sense the Afr society to cities but to other ‘economic siefworks villagess0-that REFERENCES CITED Arensberg, Conrad An Anthropological Study. New York: The on the Social Me Ray, cd.). Proceedings Fimbrce, Joba F. 1939 Sue Mura: A Japanese Village. Chicago: University of Chicago4 Grorce M. Fostex Foster; George M. 1953 "Wh alogist $5:159-173. 1am Organiza sina Tt Ne, HF Tue Premousreiat Crry Gideon Sjoberg snd Sot" Biennial Review B,J. Ske), ed). Stanford: Stnfod Uni 2. New nity Studies nA Mesiean Village. A Study of Folk Life. Chica ‘of Chicago Pres, ive World Diva Stote Sociology. New York, Chicago, ok: Heemty Hel Social Seiences 12:48-53. Retkeley and Los Angels: Uni “Types of Latin American Peas rial City