Page 64 - 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. 64
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
2. Review by the provinces and regions of central and western
Slovenia
Let us take a closer look at the economic activities with which the Slovenian
peasant population integrated their agricultural income, according to the
definition proposed by Panjek. Before we begin, allow me to explain which
areas and industries have not been included in the following analysis and
why. The first reason is the great number of historiographical works whi-
ch mention the combining of agriculture with non-agricultural industries.
Even though, with the exception of the previously discussed authors, the
rest of Slovenian historiography paid no special attention to the topic in qu-
estion, many works indirectly mention individual non-agricultural indu-
stries in which peasants were engaged. It is therefore understandable that
this paper could not cover every author who has mentioned agricultural
activities in combination with non-agricultural ones. It was likewise im-
possible to discuss all non-agricultural activities, as they were so abundant
in modern times; hence, the text below mostly discusses those that were
particularly widespread and established in a specific area. The third expla-
nation refers to the mention of craftsmen or providers of other activities
(miller, cooper, ironworker, etc.), which do not always clearly state whether
they are talking about specialised professions or subjects who combined
agricultural activities with non-agricultural ones. For this reason, such
examples are not discussed in this paper. The analysis encompasses about
one half of present-day Slovenia, namely the central and western Sloveni-
an provinces and regions, i.e. Carniola (without the present-day Croatian
part of Istria), the County of Gorica (Görz, Gorizia), and the countrysi-
de of the coastal towns of northern Istria; it omits the provinces of Carint-
hia, Styria, and Prekmurje, which belonged to Hungary in the Modern Era.
These eastern regions deserve the same amount of attention as the others,
but will be omitted this time due to the great volume of activities in other
provinces and the paper’s limited number of characters. A presentation of
western areas with a Slovenian population that are located outside of to-
day’s borders (the then Republic of Venice) has also been omitted.
2.1 Upper Carniola
Let us begin with Upper Carniola (Gorenjska), where the activities with
which peasants integrated their income from agricultural activities were
quite diverse. Let us take a look at how this province and its people were
described by Valvasor in the 17th century. Among the inhabitants, he men-
62
2. Review by the provinces and regions of central and western
Slovenia
Let us take a closer look at the economic activities with which the Slovenian
peasant population integrated their agricultural income, according to the
definition proposed by Panjek. Before we begin, allow me to explain which
areas and industries have not been included in the following analysis and
why. The first reason is the great number of historiographical works whi-
ch mention the combining of agriculture with non-agricultural industries.
Even though, with the exception of the previously discussed authors, the
rest of Slovenian historiography paid no special attention to the topic in qu-
estion, many works indirectly mention individual non-agricultural indu-
stries in which peasants were engaged. It is therefore understandable that
this paper could not cover every author who has mentioned agricultural
activities in combination with non-agricultural ones. It was likewise im-
possible to discuss all non-agricultural activities, as they were so abundant
in modern times; hence, the text below mostly discusses those that were
particularly widespread and established in a specific area. The third expla-
nation refers to the mention of craftsmen or providers of other activities
(miller, cooper, ironworker, etc.), which do not always clearly state whether
they are talking about specialised professions or subjects who combined
agricultural activities with non-agricultural ones. For this reason, such
examples are not discussed in this paper. The analysis encompasses about
one half of present-day Slovenia, namely the central and western Sloveni-
an provinces and regions, i.e. Carniola (without the present-day Croatian
part of Istria), the County of Gorica (Görz, Gorizia), and the countrysi-
de of the coastal towns of northern Istria; it omits the provinces of Carint-
hia, Styria, and Prekmurje, which belonged to Hungary in the Modern Era.
These eastern regions deserve the same amount of attention as the others,
but will be omitted this time due to the great volume of activities in other
provinces and the paper’s limited number of characters. A presentation of
western areas with a Slovenian population that are located outside of to-
day’s borders (the then Republic of Venice) has also been omitted.
2.1 Upper Carniola
Let us begin with Upper Carniola (Gorenjska), where the activities with
which peasants integrated their income from agricultural activities were
quite diverse. Let us take a look at how this province and its people were
described by Valvasor in the 17th century. Among the inhabitants, he men-
62
