Page 42 - 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. 42
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
discussions held at scientific meetings in Boario (Italy), Kyoto (Japan), Gi-
rona (Spain), Koper (Slovenia), and Uppsala (Sweden)16 made it possible to
more precisely profile the concept and its features by proposing or drawing
attention to additional aspects and activities, both of general and speci-
fic nature. But they also made it possible for us to gather a substantial and
consistent set of case studies ranging from the Mediterranean mountains
like the Apennines in central-southern Italy, through the southern Alpi-
ne area between northern Italy and Slovenia, to Scandinavia until the very
north of Sweden, comprising one extra-European case from Japan.
Besides expressing my sincere gratitude to all the colleagues that par-
ticipated in this shared scholarly adventure and intellectual exercise, since
without them this work would not have been possible, and in particular
to Jesper Larsson for kindly opening us the door to Sweden and Luca Mo-
carelli to Japan, as well as for their support in general, and not least to the
International Association for Alpine History, there are two broader obser-
vations I wish to underline at this point. Firstly this collective work in my
opinion confirms that there are sound reasons to carry out comparative
studies between two European regions, too often left at the margins of his-
torical scholarship, like the Alps and Scandinavia, which show many more
traits in common than the fact of not being at the centre of attention. The
second is that the integrated peasant economy proved to be applicable to
tion (EURHO), University of Bern, 19–22 August 2013, Panel 8.2: Social and econom-
ic convergences and divergences in the rural world: the Alpine space (16th–19th Century)
(Luigi Lorenzetti, Luca Mocarelli org.), and Panel 9.1: Land- and credit-market par-
ticipation and inequality – a self-sustaining process? (Michael Limberger org.).
16 Forum Alpinum 2014, Alpine resources: Use, valorisation and management from lo-
cal to macro-regional scale, International Scientific Committee on Research in the
Alps, 17–19 September 2014, Darfo Boario Terme (Brescia), Workshop 2.2: Natural
asset in the Alps. Social and environmental sustainability of community in the past
(Luigi Lorenzetti org.); 17th World Economic History Congress, Kyoto, 3–7 August
2015, Session S20026: A World Apart? The Eurasian Mountains and Modern Eco-
nomic Growth (Jon Mathieu, Luca Mocarelli, Satoshi Murayama org.); Rural History
2015 – International Conference European Rural History Organization (EURHO),
University of Girona, 7–10 September 2015, Panel 22: Integrated peasant economy:
the uplands of Europe compared (Aleksander Panjek and IPE international project
group org.); International workshop Integrating income sources in peasant econo-
mies: Evidence and research questions from Slovenia, Italy and Japan, University of
Primorska, Faculty of Humanities, Koper, 26 February 2016; International work-
shop Integrating income sources in peasant economies: Scandinavia and the Alps com-
pared, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Royal Swedish Academy of Let-
ters, History and Antiquities, Uppsala, 1st June 2016 (Jesper Larsson, Aleksander
Panjek, Mats Morell org.).
40
discussions held at scientific meetings in Boario (Italy), Kyoto (Japan), Gi-
rona (Spain), Koper (Slovenia), and Uppsala (Sweden)16 made it possible to
more precisely profile the concept and its features by proposing or drawing
attention to additional aspects and activities, both of general and speci-
fic nature. But they also made it possible for us to gather a substantial and
consistent set of case studies ranging from the Mediterranean mountains
like the Apennines in central-southern Italy, through the southern Alpi-
ne area between northern Italy and Slovenia, to Scandinavia until the very
north of Sweden, comprising one extra-European case from Japan.
Besides expressing my sincere gratitude to all the colleagues that par-
ticipated in this shared scholarly adventure and intellectual exercise, since
without them this work would not have been possible, and in particular
to Jesper Larsson for kindly opening us the door to Sweden and Luca Mo-
carelli to Japan, as well as for their support in general, and not least to the
International Association for Alpine History, there are two broader obser-
vations I wish to underline at this point. Firstly this collective work in my
opinion confirms that there are sound reasons to carry out comparative
studies between two European regions, too often left at the margins of his-
torical scholarship, like the Alps and Scandinavia, which show many more
traits in common than the fact of not being at the centre of attention. The
second is that the integrated peasant economy proved to be applicable to
tion (EURHO), University of Bern, 19–22 August 2013, Panel 8.2: Social and econom-
ic convergences and divergences in the rural world: the Alpine space (16th–19th Century)
(Luigi Lorenzetti, Luca Mocarelli org.), and Panel 9.1: Land- and credit-market par-
ticipation and inequality – a self-sustaining process? (Michael Limberger org.).
16 Forum Alpinum 2014, Alpine resources: Use, valorisation and management from lo-
cal to macro-regional scale, International Scientific Committee on Research in the
Alps, 17–19 September 2014, Darfo Boario Terme (Brescia), Workshop 2.2: Natural
asset in the Alps. Social and environmental sustainability of community in the past
(Luigi Lorenzetti org.); 17th World Economic History Congress, Kyoto, 3–7 August
2015, Session S20026: A World Apart? The Eurasian Mountains and Modern Eco-
nomic Growth (Jon Mathieu, Luca Mocarelli, Satoshi Murayama org.); Rural History
2015 – International Conference European Rural History Organization (EURHO),
University of Girona, 7–10 September 2015, Panel 22: Integrated peasant economy:
the uplands of Europe compared (Aleksander Panjek and IPE international project
group org.); International workshop Integrating income sources in peasant econo-
mies: Evidence and research questions from Slovenia, Italy and Japan, University of
Primorska, Faculty of Humanities, Koper, 26 February 2016; International work-
shop Integrating income sources in peasant economies: Scandinavia and the Alps com-
pared, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Royal Swedish Academy of Let-
ters, History and Antiquities, Uppsala, 1st June 2016 (Jesper Larsson, Aleksander
Panjek, Mats Morell org.).
40
