Integrated peasant economy in Slovenia: a comparative approach (16th – 19th centuries)

Project Code: J6-6831 (B)

SICRIS

In the European historiography it is possible to notice a renewed interest in rural history, where the research focus in no longer on the “immobile” structural characters of the agrarian economy and society, but on the dynamics and changes before and during industrialization process. It has been also noticed how the European peasant population in the Modern era shows a remarkable degree of economic activity, “agency” and “industriousness”. This means it did not represent only an observer who would passively adapt to external conditions and pressures, but it was an active player. Recent research is moreover characterised by the inclusion of the comparative approach. The project applies such tendencies to the one of the most prominent features in the economic history of the Slovenian countryside, that is the widespread phenomenon of “peasant trade” and, more in general, the integration of agricultural sources of income with those from additional activities and non-agricultural sources. The project stems from the observation that, in the case of Slovenia, we can observe a great diffusion and a large variety of additional activities, if compared to the much larger Alpine and European areas. Also at the international level there is a distinct tradition of addressing the issue of self-sufficiency of peasant farms and additional activities. Often this phenomenon is defined with the term “pluriactivity”, while for the Alpine area the term “integrated economy” has been used. On these bases we propose the concept of “integrated peasant economy” for Slovenia, meaning a system characterised by a structural integration of agricultural and a variety of different non-agricultural sources of income. We have developed the concept of “integrated peasant economy” on the case of the Slovenian countryside as an interpretation and conceptualization proposal that could be applied to other European realities, as well. The project therefore discusses the activities of the peasant population that are aimed at overcoming the levels of income from non-specialized and non-intensive agriculture, with an emphasis on combining incomes from all the economic sectors (primary, secondary and tertiary), which were systematically linked into an integrated peasant economy. The project addresses two central research problems. First, to provide a temporal and qualitative definition, and a quantitative base for the concept of “integrated peasant economy” on the case of Slovenia in the pre-industrial period, and to test the model in other European regions. Second, to test the response of integrated peasant economy and of peasant households to the industrialization process in Slovenia, and to provide a comparison with other European cases. To this purpose the research work will be directed towards some specific research questions: to define the extent and typology of “additional” activities in relation to the space (location of the village), to the social strata (peasants with or without land), and to the time period, also aiming at gaining an insight into the moveable property of rural households. On a broader level the research will address questions, such as to identify the factors of the integrated peasant economy system and to check its ability to respond and adapt to changes in the ratio between present population and available income sources, to determine how the system changed through time, as well as to verify the similarities and differences between Slovenia and other cases in the Alps and Europe, and the wider applicability of the concept of integrated peasant economy. Specific objectives: 1) To define the concept of “integrated peasant economy” as a model based on the Slovenian case. 2) To apply the concept of “integrated peasant economy” on other Alpine and European cases.