Page 120 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 120
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
Introduction
As described in other chapters in this volume, the peasant economy in
Early Modern upland Europe became more integrated, and northern Scan-
dinavia was no exception. Here, however, the increased use of common-po-
ol resources (CPRs) is a key to understanding how the integrated economy
developed. This chapter explains and analyses the role of the commons in
this change by discussing the development in three steps.
The first step explains how commons became a fundamental part of
the economy and why users in northern Scandinavia could exploit the new
opportunities that commons provided. This part of the chapter discuss-
es three geographical areas in northern Scandinavia where user groups
utilised different natural resources in order to produce commodities for
self-sufficiency and trade.
The second step explores more closely how the changed and intensified
use of CPRs came to alter peasant’s lives and broadened their livelihoods
to include a variety of income sources. The key concepts here are farm di-
vision and labour division. This chapter will show how farm division pro-
ceeded without the loss of economic viability for the peasants. With more
resources coming from outlying land, households’ dependence on produc-
tion from arable land was reduced and land fragmentation was not a prob-
lem. Labour division in animal husbandry, the backbone of the agrarian
economy in northern Scandinavia, made it possible to work on other tasks.
The third step explores how production on these small farms devel-
oped into a vibrant regional market with local specialisation and exchanges
of commodities between parishes despite land fragmentation. Many of the
resources used in the integrated economy depended on the commons. The
focus here will be on Dalarna, a region in central upland Sweden. This part
will discuss how the peasants’ integrated economy was also connected to
the global market by producing firewood and charcoal for mines and iron-
works. With less arable land for each household, the region became more
dependent on grain trade.
1. Expansion of the use of common-pool resources
The vast forests and mountain areas in northern Scandinavia have been
utilised as commons since people settled in the area thousands of years ago.
However, in the Early Modern period, a new use of the commons emerged:
large-scale utilisation with connections to the demands of state and global
118
Introduction
As described in other chapters in this volume, the peasant economy in
Early Modern upland Europe became more integrated, and northern Scan-
dinavia was no exception. Here, however, the increased use of common-po-
ol resources (CPRs) is a key to understanding how the integrated economy
developed. This chapter explains and analyses the role of the commons in
this change by discussing the development in three steps.
The first step explains how commons became a fundamental part of
the economy and why users in northern Scandinavia could exploit the new
opportunities that commons provided. This part of the chapter discuss-
es three geographical areas in northern Scandinavia where user groups
utilised different natural resources in order to produce commodities for
self-sufficiency and trade.
The second step explores more closely how the changed and intensified
use of CPRs came to alter peasant’s lives and broadened their livelihoods
to include a variety of income sources. The key concepts here are farm di-
vision and labour division. This chapter will show how farm division pro-
ceeded without the loss of economic viability for the peasants. With more
resources coming from outlying land, households’ dependence on produc-
tion from arable land was reduced and land fragmentation was not a prob-
lem. Labour division in animal husbandry, the backbone of the agrarian
economy in northern Scandinavia, made it possible to work on other tasks.
The third step explores how production on these small farms devel-
oped into a vibrant regional market with local specialisation and exchanges
of commodities between parishes despite land fragmentation. Many of the
resources used in the integrated economy depended on the commons. The
focus here will be on Dalarna, a region in central upland Sweden. This part
will discuss how the peasants’ integrated economy was also connected to
the global market by producing firewood and charcoal for mines and iron-
works. With less arable land for each household, the region became more
dependent on grain trade.
1. Expansion of the use of common-pool resources
The vast forests and mountain areas in northern Scandinavia have been
utilised as commons since people settled in the area thousands of years ago.
However, in the Early Modern period, a new use of the commons emerged:
large-scale utilisation with connections to the demands of state and global
118
