Peasants, Populism and Postmodernism: The Return of the Agrarian Myth - Brossura

Brass, Dr Tom

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0714680001 ISBN 13: 9780714680002

Casa editrice: Routledge, 2000

Riassunto

Tracing the emergence and re-emergence of the agrarian myth in the past century the argument in this book is that at the centre of the discourse about the cultural identity of "otherness/difference" lies the concept of an innate "peasant-ness".

Su questo libro

Product Description:

Tracing the way in which the agrarian myth has emerged and re-emerged over the past century in ideology shared by populism, postmodernism and the political right, the argument in this book is that at the centre of this discourse about the cultural identity of 'otherness'/ 'difference' lies the concept of and innate 'peasant-ness'. In a variety of contextually-specific discursive forms, the 'old' populism of the 1890s and the nationalism and fascism in Europe, America and Asia during the 1920s and 1930s were all informed by the agrarian myth. The postmodern 'new' populism and the 'new' right, both of which emerged after the 1960s and consolidated during the 1990s, are also structured discursively by the agrarian myth, and with it the ideological reaffirmation of peasant essentialism. Although the economic breakdown of traditional agrarian structures in the Third World by postwar capitalist development has been accompanied by a discursive re-essentialization of the peasantry, it is argued that perceptions concerning the kind of political action (resistance-not-revolution) undertaken by peasants have changed. Following the rediscovery of 'popular culture' by postmodern theory, there has been an analogous shift in development debate about agrarian transformation, from 'peasantness'-as-economic-alienation to 'peasantness'-as-cultural-empowerment, leading in turn to an epistemological fusion between 'new' populist and 'new' right discourse.

Contenuti:

European journal of Development Research

"hard-hitting...the richness of the work, in terms of historical depth, geographical span, and disiciplinary and thematic variety cannot fail to impress."

The European Journal of Development Research

"hard-hitting...the richness of the work, in terms of historical depth, geographical span, and disciplinary and thematic variety cannot fail to impress"

James Overton,Memorial University of Newfoundland

"This is probably the most important book on politics and development which I have read in the last ten years"

The Journal of Development Studies

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Routledge
• Data di pubblicazione: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0714680001
• ISBN 13: 9780714680002
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero edizione: 1
• Numero di pagine: 396