Peasant Revolts Research Articles

Christ's Body: Identity, Culture and Society in Late Medieval Writings (review)

Reviews375 Christ's Body: Identity, Culture and Society in Late Medieval Writings, by Sarah Beckwith; xii & 199 pp. New York: Routledge, 1993, $74.50. In this handsome yet costly volume, Sarah Beckwith traces the uses of Christ's body in the social, political, and theological struggles in late medieval England. Imaging of Christ was often used as a model for control and maintenance of the social status quo, as Beckwith displays in a telling anecdote about Christological imaging and the suppression of the Peasant's revolt (pp. 23-24). In these historical contexts, argues Beckwim, "Christocentric devotion becomes a medium for the production of identity" (p. 1) and, as she argues throughout, a principle for social ordering. These conflicts are particularly acute and dramatic, as Beckwith displays, in the context ofWyclif, Lollardy, and the attacks on the clergy's monopoly over the meaning of Christ's body during the ideologically turbulent fourteenth century. Chapter One does some "ground clearing" (p. 5) as Beckwith takes on critical assessments of mysticism that remove it from historical and social contingencies and see it as "a timeless encounter with God" (p. 16) . She quotes with approval Szarmach's comment that mysticism is itself a construct" (p. 11). To develop this attack and this reimagining of mysticism, Beckwith wants to "restore a politics of utterance" to the texts and practices under investigation (p. 19). This sensitivity to the "constitutive dialogism" of the mystical texts points to the problem of authority, for mystical texts are really quite bold in their "transcription of die voice of God himself' (p. 20). In adding to that voice, the mystical dialogue reveals that "authority, in the guise ofthe last word of God, is being continuously supplemented and fractured" (p. 20). This implicit challenge to authority forms part of the materialist history of public and private sacrality that Beckwith traces. Chapter Two focuses on "Christ's body and the imaging of social ordering" and displays how "the signification of Christ's body is a contested social arena in late medieval English society" (p. 26) . Christ's body serves as the "focus and medium through which clerical control seeks to establish itself . . . borrowing from an older language of the body as image of society" (p. 32). In opposition to this quest, however, Beckwim finds a fracturing and a destabilization of the body of Christ and traces its "transformation" (p. 38) as Wyclif and others attack images and challenge transubstantiation. The imaging of Christ is central to "a debate about the relations of sacred and social power" (p. 45). Chapter Three opens with a useful excursus on affective piety in die Bernardian and Franciscan traditions, tracing the significance of the imago dei and the concept of imitatio Christi. The chapter then focuses on two texts and a historical exemplum, showing how the English works The Prickynge ofLove and The Mirrour of the Blessed Lyfofjesu Christ take part in an imaging of Christ that both expands popular piety and undoes institutional sacramentalism, even though works such as the Mirror explicitly attack Lollardy and shore up 376Philosophy and Literature institutionally sanctioned devotional uses of Christ's body. This provocative irony drives much of Beckwith's study. The final chapter studies these issues in The Book ofMargery Kempe. Kempe embodies many of the tensions and the tendencies that Beckwith has traced. As part of a social class "developing its own cultural insignia" Kempe "might have been a typical candidate for crucifixion piety." And for her, Christ's body is "open enough to let her in, porous to her and intimate with her; [and at the same time] closed enough to make it a special privilege that she should be included" (p. 111). A short conclusion reviews the implications of this "materialist study" of the images of Christ's body and the struggle over "sacrality" as catholicity and protestantism "play out their tropes and struggle for cultural capital" (p. 117). Beckwith's notes are almost as long as her text, and the twenty pages ofworks cited and fifteen page index make the book a fine resource on Christological imagery. The prose, diough at times laden with quotations and distracting theoretical paradigms, nonetheless constructs an argument which will inspire...

Peasants in the Middle Ages (review)

166 Reviews from arguments of self-defence to resistance. She suggests a series of steps in the direction of a right to rebel (p. 42). Yet only once does she cite a pamphlet couching a justification for violence in terms of resistance (p. 40), and only once, if heavy irony and litotes are discounted, is there a justification for rebellion (p. 60). Rather, where w e find it resistance is still a term rapidly to be converted into self-defence. Tyrannicide is its ultimate expression and rebellion remains in an accusatory register. What Parrow actually shows is not a shift from self-defence to resistance but an increasing reliance on an extensive social or communal self whose agents may act pre-emptively if necessary in some public interest. This continuing if euphemistic reliance is required precisely by the need to avoid the accusation of rebellion. It is little wonder that men on ah sides appealed to the law whenever they could and accused then opponents of breaking it first. Parrow's accurate translations of often rare documents make this quite clear, despite the suggestions of a misleading trajectory. If this is put aside, we are left with an elegant synthesis of the materials desperate men juggled before the law, setting an ominous precedent for the following century. Conal Condren School of Political Science University of N e w South Wales Rosener, Werner, Peasants in the Middle Ages, trans. Alexander Stutzer, Cambridge and Oxford, Polity Press, 1992; cloth; pp. xi, 338; 42 figures; R.R.P. AUS$145.00 [distributed in Australia by Allen & Unwin]. This survey of German peasant life in the Middle Ages, fust published in German in 1985, is commendably lucid and weU organized. It begins with a discussion of the origins and development of the peasantry in early medieval Germany. Rosener's general approach wiU be famUiar to readers of Duby's Guerriers et paysans, but his survey of the German structures will nonetheless be of considerable value. It concludes with a hurried survey of the agrarian crisis of the later Middle Ages. Since Rosener has done valuable specialist work in this field, this part of the book is very disappointing. There is no sustained analysis of the impact of the Black Death on the rural economy and society, and there is no significant engagement with recent discussion of the origins of the 'second serfdom' in eastern Germany. Reviews 167 The main body of the work consists of four groups of chapters on peasant life in the High Middle Ages. In thefirstRosener discusses the process of land-clearance and setdement in Germany, seeing the colonization process in the east as part of general expansionary forces in medieval Europe, and draws on a range of evidence, archaeological as well as legal, to explore patterns of vUlage development and peasant housing. In the next he moves on to discuss aspects of peasant hfe and work, including an engaging chapter on clothes and food in addition to important chapters on agricultural techniques and the organization of labour. The theme of the following group is social organization. There are useful chapters which discuss the communities of neighbourhood and village, family and kinship, and stratification among the German peasantry. In the last group Rosener focuses on manorial organization, issues of freedom and servitude, and peasant revolts and resistance. All this is very useful. Rosener provides a clear summary of the state of knowledge and a lucid guide to the complexities of the German scene. The period covered is defined as 1000-1400 and, though in practice the focus is on the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, there is an inevitable tendency to present too static a picture of peasant life. The problem is compounded by the use of sources from the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The quality of the pictorial evidence for German peasant life in the age of humanism and reform is most impressive, and the book is greatly enlivened by the selection of engravings; however, such images demand careful contextualization and detailed analysis. The main disappointment remains Rosener's reluctance toriseabove a stock-taking exercise. Even in relation to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, on which the book is strongest...

Mau Mau and Kenya: an analysis of a peasant revolt

Mau Mau and Kenya: an analysis of a peasant revolt

Collectivisation, révoltes paysannes et politiques gouvernementales [à travers les rapports du GPU d'Ukraine de février-mars 1930

Andrea Graziosi, Collectivization, peasant revolts and government policies through the reports of the Ukrainian GPU (February-March 1930). Seventeen up to now unpublished reports from the former party archives are presented to the reader. They were addressed to the Soviet leadership by the Ukrainian GPU in the cmcial moment of the peasants' reaction to the first wave of collectivization and dekulakization (February-March, 1930). The introductive essay discusses first the genera] interpretative problems they raise, focusing especially on the relationships between 1918-1921 and 1929- 1933, seen as two acts of the same peasant war. It then analyses the specific contributions these reports give to our knowledge of those cmcial months. The essay is concluded by a brief assessment of Western scholarship on collectivization before the opening of Russian archives.

South African land policy: The legacy of history and current options

The highly dualistic farm structure of South Africa and the low productivity of native African farmers have been the result of systematic distortions in land allocation, output markets, the provision of infrastructure, agricultural credit, and services. The dualistic structure did not emerge because of genuine economies of scale in the large commercial sector. Other countries in Latin America and Africa that once supported a dualistic farm size structure through similar distortions have either implemented large-scale land reforms or have experienced decades of peasant revolts and civil war. The paper compares these international experiences to South Africa, and outlines judicial and market-assisted approaches to South African land reform.

The Horsemen are coming’: Rethinking the Pondoland Rebellion

During the 1950's, a series of peasant revolts took place in the South African homelands. Whilst they occurred from Zeerust to Witzieshoek, by far the largest was the Pondoland rebellion of 1959-61. It culminated in the declaration of a State of Emergency in the region and was only crushed when large numbers of police and troops were rushed to the area. It was significant not only on account of its size, but also owing to the emergent social movement which led it, and the broad nature of the protest which included not only armed conflict, but also consume boycotts

Ethiopia: Power and Protest; Peasant Revolts in the Twentieth Century.

Ethiopia: Power and Protest; Peasant Revolts in the Twentieth Century.

History of Peasant Revolts: The Social Origins of Rebellion in Early Modern France. By Yves-Marie Berce (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1990. x plus 359 pp. $57.50/cloth $18.95/paper)

History of Peasant Revolts: The Social Origins of Rebellion in Early Modern France. By Yves-Marie Berce (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1990. x plus 359 pp. $57.50/cloth $18.95/paper)

The German and Catalan Peasant Revolts

The German and Catalan Peasant Revolts Get access Paul Freedman Paul Freedman Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Historical Review, Volume 98, Issue 1, February 1993, Pages 39–54, https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/98.1.39 Published: 01 February 1993

The German and Catalan Peasant Revolts

The German and Catalan Peasant Revolts

Ethiopia, power and protest: peasant revolts in the twentieth century

Acknowledgments Preface List of maps List of tables Abbreviations 1. Introduction: an historical/theoretical overview Part I. Society And History: 2. The historical context 3. The social context Part II. Resistance And Repression: 4. Weyane: provincialism vs. centralism 5. Bale: the nationalities armed 6. Gojjam: a vendee revolt? 7. Conclusions Epilogue Notes Bibliography.

Sainteté et sauvagerie. Deux images du paysan au Moyen Age

Dans l'Europe médiévale aussi bien que dans l'Europe moderne, les classes aisées et privilégiées trouvaient la société rurale étrange, déroutante et d'un primitivisme choquant. Sans doute, un engouement pour une vie simple et pastorale faisait de temps en temps surface, mais crainte, mépris et pitié étaient les sentiments les plus fréquemment exprimés à l'égard des habitants du monde des paysans. La campagne que La Bruyère connaissait, était remplie de « certains animaux farouches, des mâles et des femelles, répandus par la campagne, noirs, livides et tout brûlés du soleil, attachés à la terre qu'ils fouillent et qu'ils remuent avec une opiniâtreté invincible ; ils ont comme une voix articulée, et quand ils se lèvent sur leurs pieds, ils montrent une face humaine, et en effet ils sont des hommes». Plus proche de l'époque contemporaine, Carlo Levi rappelle l'horreur qu'il eut au début de son exil politique à Lucania dans le sud profond de l'Italie, où les paysans eux-mêmes lui disaient : «Nous ne sommes pas des chrétiens, le Christ s'est arrêté à Eboli, nous ne sommes pas des chrétiens, nous ne sommes pas des êtres humains ; on ne nous considère pas comme des hommes mais simplement comme des bêtes… ».

Liberal policy and the control of public order in western Sicily 1860–1862

AbstractThis article is concerned with explanations of the failure of stateformation and nation building in liberal Italy, and concentrates on attempts to integrate western Sicily into the new political framework. The marxist account of this process has emphasized the extent of peasant revolt against the new state, and its brutal repression. Unification, it is argued, failed because it was based on coercion and domination rather than on leadership by popular consent. The present article suggests that this explanation is incomplete as it ignores the behaviour and attitude of local elites within western Sicily. The dominance of local affairs by such groups was challenged by the advent of a modern centralizing state. The article uses records from this period to show that many local notables frustrated government efforts to set up new town councils, new police forces and a liberal judicial system. This kind of resistance was far more difficult to overcome than popular revolt, because it could (and did) challenge the whole basis of centralized liberal rule. The article also looks at the military repression of the 1860s and argues that it too was undermined by the opposition of local elites. An additional reason, therefore, for the failure of unification after 1860 may be the new state's lack of appeal among its supposed class allies.

Peasants in Revolt — Egypt 1919

From March until late April 1919 Egypt suffered one of the great peasant revolts of her history and of the 20th century.1Contemporaries viewed it as having international importance because it was the result of thirty years of European domination, and its resolution would be likely to affect all Western colonial empires.2For us, it marks the emergence of Egyptian liberalism and the construction of the modern state.3.The insurrection began when four leaders of the Egyptian national movement were arrested on 9 March 1919. They were then exiled to Malta for insisting that the Egyptian delegation (wafd) to the Versailles Conference be recognized, so that it could demand that Egypt be accepted as an independent national state.

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Vertical Ties through Time

Professor Kettering concludes her article with an appeal that the patronage system be studied and for itself. Her request should be granted. Few topics are as important in late medieval and early modern French history. There are, I would argue, two tendencies in politicalsocial history: the first is the tendency for those with similar problems to unite to obtain their objectives. In an age of poor transportation and communication such horizontal ties are likely to be local or at the most regional. Thus we have peasant revolts in Provence, the Southwest, and Normandy, but not simultaneously in the whole of France. The second is the vertical tendency for an individual or group of individuals in power to bind lesser people to their cause. A king, a president, a dictator, is but one man. To govern he must develop vertical ties, whether they are achieved by the lord-vassal relationship, the patron-client relationship, or large, loyal bureaucracies and armies. In a similar manner the great noble had to develop vertical ties if he was to play a prominent role in the kingdom, for he too was but one man. Kettering has given us the best book' and many fine articles on patronage in France. No one is in a better position to argue for the importance of the practice or to try to define the terms that have been used in explaining how it worked. Words such as patron, client, maitre, fidele, protecteur, creature, and affinity have been used in various ways to describe relationships. To these terms pension and its derivatives should be added. They were used in the Middle Ages and have survived to mod-

A Companion to Piers Plowman ed. by John A. Alford

REVIEWS JOHN A. ALFORD, ed. A Companion to Piers Plowman. Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press, 1988. Pp. xii, 286. $32.50. In this new book John Alford has supplied a much-needed guide to the problems and contexts of Piers Plowman, arguably the most difficult poem of the English Middle Ages. Like Piers, the book is arranged in trinities: three sections of three chapters each. The first, "PiersPlowmanand the Late Middle Ages," contains essays on the design of the poem byJohn Alford, on its historical context by Anna Baldwin, and on Langland's theology by Robert Adams. The second section, "Generic Influences on Piers Plowman," focuses on allegorical visions (Stephen Barney), on satire (John Yunck), and on medieval sermons (Siegfried Wenzel). The final section, "The Text and Language of Piers Plowman," offers essays on the text by George Kane, on the dialect and grammar of the poem by M. L. Samuels, and on alliterative style by David Lawton. In conception these trinities are certainly not a progression from Do-well to Do-best; rather the design seems to proceed from the least to the most specialized. The three sections in turn are symmetrically bracketed by Anne Middleton's Prologue on the history of Piers criticism and Anne Hudson's Epilogue on the influence of Piers. This is an all-star lineup: all the contributors are leading experts on their areas, and some of them have done groundbreaking work on the poem. Each of their eleven essays concludes with a lengthy and useful bibliography on its own subject. The Companion seems intended for an audience well advanced in medieval studies, especially graduate students, for whom it is likely to become a vade mecum. Even specialists will benefit from its up-to-date summaries of recent research. None of the many passages in the poem's difficult Middle English, however, and very few of the citations in Latin are translated. The essays of part III are often quite technical. Hence under­ graduates are likely to profit most from Alford's perceptive "interpretive summary" (which is also a structural analysis) of the poem and from Anna Baldwin's examination of the fourteenth-century historical context. Bald­ win focuses on the poem's intersection with the feudal system, the prob­ lems of agricultural labor (especially as a consequence of the Black Death), the Peasant's Revolt, the Wycliffite movement, the conflict of secular and 89 STUDIES IN THE AGE OF CHAUCER ecclesiastical authorities over properties and rent, the Hundred Years' War, and England's unstable governance and kingship. In his fine survey of"Langland'sTheology," RobertAdamsdeals first with three traditionally controversial questions about the drift of Langland's thought. IsPiers's central concern theredemption ofsociety or theredemp­ tion ofthe individual? IsPiersa poem aboutthe way to perfection orsimply the way to salvation? Is Langland's approach to God mainly "vertical" or "horizontal," the mystic's ascent beyond time, or the prophet's pilgrimage through time? Then Adams turns to more recently controversial topics: Langland's theology ofGrace (and his semi-Pelagianism, a topic on which Adams has done pioneering work); Langland's attitude toward the sacra­ ments, especially baptism and penance; and Langland's apocalypticism. Finally, the chapter summarizes Langland's theological sources and paral­ lels among monastic writers, the moderni, and Wyclif and his followers. Stephen Barney's chapter on "Allegorical Visions" studies the traditions of allegory and visionary literature in biblical, prophetic visions, in the Apocrypha, in the platonic tradition of Macrobius, Boethius, Martianus Capella, and Bernard Sylvestris; in French literature; and in English liter­ ature before Langland. John Y unck surveys the sources and traditions behind Langland's satire in estates literature, Menippean satire, and the medieval sermon, as well as in fourteenth-century satirical writers ofpoems and drama. He locates the "spiritual intertext" and the ethical interests of fourteenth-century satire in the great religious renewal that began in the thirteenth century with the Fourth Lateran Council, the rise ofthe mendi­ cant orders, and the institutionalization of the universities. The gem of the section on generic influences, however, comes from Siegfried Wenzel, on medieval sermons. His survey ofscholarship on both sermon content and sermon form is excellent...

History of Peasant Revolts: The Social Origins of Rebellion in Early Modern France

History of Peasant Revolts: The Social Origins of Rebellion in Early Modern France

Rebellious Alliances: The State and Peasant Unrest in Early Seventeenth-Century France and the Ottoman Empire

The crucial determinant of large-scale, sustained peasant rebellions is the ability of peasants to find allies among other societal groups. Two agrarian societies, France and the Ottoman empire, confronted similar socioeconomic problems in the seventeenth-century. During the seventeenth century, numerous and serious peasant revolts occurred in France, where the provincial social structure fostered unity among classes. In addition state policy in France was geared toward long-term control of the periphery. This antagonized nearly every provincial group and made it possible for peasants to ally with an equally disgruntled nobility to successfully stage rebellious movements. In the Ottoman Empire, the provincial structure promoted disunity, and state policy was short-term and created competition within provincial classes. The peasants there could notfind allies and therefore did not engage in collective action.

Between Luther and Munzer: The Peasant Revolt in German Drama and Thought

Between Luther and Munzer: The Peasant Revolt in German Drama and Thought