Agricultural History

This course is part of the programme
Bachelor's study programme Cultural history (1st level)

Objectives and competences

The aim of the course is to teach the students about typical and relevant sources such as land registers, inventories, local territorial boards, land registers, statistical publications and to train the students to be able to perform independent research. Therefore, special emphasis is on seminar paper.
The students will gain knowledge about different time periods and normal circumstances typical of those periods, which is crucial for the understanding of the traditional countryside folk culture.

Prerequisites

Along the vertical historical line, the course connects with the knowledge that students acquire at the courses Economic History, Cultural History of Slovenian territory and Culture in the feudal era, as they also discuss the role of the farmer in the social space. Along the horizontal line, the course is linked to all courses, as agrarian production is subject of all historical periods.

Content

The purpose of Agrarian history is to show the importance of the relationship between people and the soil in all historical periods. The differences in the organization and techniques of farming are particularly pointed out, especially in Europe, and how they are reflected in the culture of different time periods. Special focus is on the forms of modernization and its consequences, especially the decline of agriculture within the GDP of each country.
The course also deals with the role of farmers as the majority producers in the pre-modern Europe and their role as minority producers in modern Europe, as well as their role in the market. Since the restriction on certain occasions triggered rebel movements – especially in the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods – attention is paid to the attitude of people who are primarily engaged in agrarian production to other, higher parts of the society. Special attention is given to the perception of the rural population in different periods. Although the latter was during the period of modernization mainly described as static, the rural population’s perceptions of the world also contain dynamic elements.

Intended learning outcomes

The students will acquire the basic concepts of agrarian economy, which is also important for the understanding of ecological concepts of development. The students are also theoretically and practically acquainted with the modus operandi of typical sources, as well as with special historical maps (eg. forestry plans). The students have to understand the interaction between the different branches of the economy (trade, manufacturing) and the agrarian production.

Readings

  • Special archival material of a public nature.
  • Gospodarska in družbena zgodovina Slovencev, Zgodovina agrarnih panog I., Agrarno gospodarstvo, Traditiones, Ljubljana 1970; II. Zv. Družbena razmerja in gibanja, Traditiones, Ljubljana, 1981. Catalogue1 Catalogue2
  • M. Britovšek, Razkroj agrarne fevdalne strukture na Slovenskem. Slovenska matica, Ljubljana, 1964.
  • D. Darovec, Davki nam pijejo kri: gospodarstvo severozahodne Istre v novem veku v luči beneške davčne politike. ZRS RS Koper, Društvo za zgodovino Južne Primorske, Koper, 2004. Catalogue
  • R. Sandgruber, Oesterreichische Agrarstatistik 1750 – 1918. Munchen/ Oldenbourg, München, 1978.
  • Ž. Lazarevič, Kmečki dolgovi na Slovenskem. Znanstveno in publicistično središče, Ljubljana, 1994.

Assessment

Seminar paper and oral exam.

Lecturer's references

Dr. Stane Granda je redni profesor in znanstveni svetnik / Dr. Stanko Granda is full professor and research counsellor.

Granda Stane: Viri akumulacije kapitala na Slovenskem v 19. stoletju. Ljubljana 1994

Granda Stane: Novomeški kapitelj v obdobju med obnovitvijo in začetkom II. svetovne vojne. 105-139. Granda Stanko (ur.): 500 let Kolegiatnega kapitlja v Novem mestu. Novo Mesto 1997

Granda Stane: Usoda nekdanje freisinške posesti na Dolenjskem. V: Bizjak Matjaž (ur.): Blaznikov zbornik : In memoriam Pavle Blaznik. Ljubljana-Škofja Loka 2005, str. 193-202 in 217-228

Granda Stane: Kmečki upori proti Francozom v luči Grafenauerjeve tipologije kmečkih uporov na Slovenskem. V: Šterbenc Svetina Barbara (ur. et al.): Zgodovinske dimenzije Ilirskih provinc. Ljubljana 2012, str. 153-165

Granda Stane: Transformacija zemljiškega gospostva v kapitalistično veleposest. V: Mihelič Darja (ur.): Vizija raziskav slovenske gospodarske in družbene zgodovine. Ljubljana 2014, str. 255-273