Studies on Pre-Capitalist Modes of Production

Historical Materialism #97

by Laura da Graca (Editor), Andrea Zingarelli (Editor), Chris Wickham (Contributor)

In Studies on Pre-Capitalist Modes of Production British and Argentinian historians analyse the Asiatic, Germanic, peasant, slave, feudal, and tributary modes of production by exploring historical processes and diverse problems of Marxist theory. The arising of feudal relations, the origin of the medieval craftsman, the functioning of the law of value or the conditions for historical change are some of the problems analysed, which involve an array of pre-capitalist social formations: Chris Wickham works on medieval Iceland and Norway, John Haldon on Byzantium, Carlos García Mac Gaw on the Roman Empire, Andrea Zingarelli on ancient Egypt, Carlos Astarita and Laura da Graca on medieval León and Castile, and Octavio Colombo on the Castilian later Middle Ages.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Economics

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 2015

Reviews

[Cedric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most valuable for the historiographical introduction, the revival of the concept of the "Germanic" mode of production (peasant mode with private property) and the excellent case study on the transition from that mode to a feudal one in early medieval Spain. If I ever get back to my magnum opus I would use the introduction as my guide to the literature review chapter.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, especially the Chapters on the hypothesized Peasant mode of production and the dynamics of a feudal economy. Some chapters are not very easy reading, and the more abstract ones can be frustratingly vague.