The Italian peasantry has often been described as tragic, backward, hopeless, downtrodden, static, and passive. In Fate and Honor, Family and Village , Rudolph Bell argues against the characterizationmore by reconstructing the complete demographic history of four country villages since 1800. He analyzes births, marriages, and deaths in terms of four concepts that capture mroe accurately and sympathetically the essence of the Italian peasant life: fortuna (fate), onore (honor, dignity), famiglia (family), and ...
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The Italian peasantry has often been described as tragic, backward, hopeless, downtrodden, static, and passive. In Fate and Honor, Family and Village , Rudolph Bell argues against the characterizationmore by reconstructing the complete demographic history of four country villages since 1800. He analyzes births, marriages, and deaths in terms of four concepts that capture mroe accurately and sympathetically the essence of the Italian peasant life: fortuna (fate), onore (honor, dignity), famiglia (family), and campanilismo (village). Fortuna is the cultural wellspring of Italian peasant society, the world view from which all social life flows. The concept of fortuna does not refer to philosophical questions, predestination, or value judgments. Rather, fortuna is the sum total of all explanations of outcomes perceived to be beyond human control. Thus, in Bell's view, high mortality does not lead peasants to a resigned acceptance of their fate; instead, they rely on honor, reciprocal exchanges of favors, and marriage to forge new links in their familial and social networks. With thorough documentation in graphs and tables, the author evaluates peasant reactions to time, work, family, space, migration, and protest to portray rural Italians as active, flexible, and shrewd, participating fully in shaping their destinies. Bell asserts that the real problem of the Mezzogiorno is not one of resistance to technology, of high birth rates, or even of illiteracy. It is one of solving technical questions in ways that foster dependency. The historical and sociological practice of treating peasant culture as backward, secondary, and circumscribed only encourages disruption and ultimately blocks the road to economic and political justice in a postmodern world.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very good hardcover with dust jacket. Pages are clean and unmarked. Covers show minor shelf wear with minor rubbing. Binding is tight, hinges strong. Dust jacket shows fair with rubbing, scuffing and small tears.; 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Ships same or next business day!
Edition:
First Edition, First Printing by numberline
Language:
English
Alibris ID:
16051227332
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Seller's Description:
Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1979, hardcover, xiv-269 pp, First Edition, First Printing by numberline, Fine in Near Fine dustjacket. Straight, tight and clean with no wear or markings. Bright, pictorial dustjacket, slight edge nicks, in new Brodart sleeve. The historian, educator, and author of Party and Faction in American Politics presents a systematic comparative ethnohistorical study of Italian peasantry from the beginning of the 19th century till the latter part of the 20th century. Profusely illustrated throughout with numerous tables and figures. Appended: Notes, Index.
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Seller's Description:
VERY GOOD. JACKET: GOOD DJ. 6X9. Light shelf wear, Dj in fine condition spine is sunned/faded, hard cover no wear to extremeties, book plate on fep, unmarked text, pages are clean and crisp, good binding _PAB_
