Despite an exceptionally long tradition of research on medieval rural milieu, peasant agency represents a new theoretical approach that has not yet been coherently reflected in East Central Europe. Issues within social archaeology remain on the fringes of the archaeological interpretations. The view of the peasantry was heavily influenced by economic history and Marxist historiography, portraying peasants as a passive, conservative, homogeneous, socially unequal, and subaltern group vis-à-vis the upper class/elites. This text represents the very first effort to assess the rich evidence obtained by large-scale excavations of deserted medieval villages by adopting a peasant agency perspective. To do so, we introduce seven perspective themes in which the diversity and complexity of rural communities that have taken an active role in historical processes making collective and individual decisions can be illustrated. Our ambition is to offer a new insight into late medieval peasants in East Central Europe, enhance their comprehensive understanding, and stimulate future research directions.
University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Czech Republic - ORCID: 0000-0001-7929-6921
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic - ORCID: 0000-0003-1157-1960
Chapter Title
Reflecting Peasant Agency in Medieval Rural Milieu Research of East Central Europe
Authors
Ladislav Čapek, Lukáš Holata
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0562-7.03
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Local Societies and Peasantry Agencies in Medieval Iberia
Editors
Juan Antonio Quirós Castillo
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
304
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0562-7
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0561-0
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0562-7
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0564-1
Series Title
Reti Medievali E-Book
Series ISSN
2704-6362
Series E-ISSN
2704-6079