Disappearing Peasantries?

Rural labour in Africa, Asia and Latin America

Deborah Bryceson, Christobal Kay, Jos Mooij

• Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
• Year: 2000
• Print ISBN: 9781853394775
• eBook ISBN: 9781780440118
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Global Development Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

This book points out how peasant labour redundancy can undermine rural welfare and political stability, and why academics and policy-makers of the twenty-first century cannot ignore the world's disappearing peasantries without endangering sustainable development and international security. The editors combine rural research with a new analytical perspective on major peasant and agrarian development debates, and provide an insight into peasant studies and the western biases that have permeated it. The rich case study material from all three continents illustrates the pressures and opportunities that have befallen peasants, leading them to 'diversify' into a number of occupations and non-agricultural income-earning avenues. The relationship of peasants to the land has changed; and the factors influencing this are discussed. These include multi-occupational livelihoods, intensified labour mobility and flexibility, straddled urban and rural residences, and flooded labour markets. The state and market influences on the rural family and village community are also examined.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• About the Authors
• Part One: Introduction
• Part Two: African Peasantries
• Part Three: Latin American Peasantries
• Part Four: Asian Peasantries
• Part Five: Conclusion