Open Access Unrestricted online access star

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.

Accessibility options of PDF file not available

Creative Commons Licence cc by cc https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

eng

Freely available e-book