Rationality of Rural Life

Jeff Pratt teaches anthropology at the University of Sussex, and has been conducting research in central Italy since 1970. His previous publications on Italy include studies of political and ideological processes, both at the local and the national level.

• Acknowledgements -- List of Illustrations -- ONE Introduction -- Capitalist agriculture -- Technological change -- Rationality -- Two sides of the river -- Outline of the book -- TWO Hard Work and No Money: Share-Cropping in Tuscany -- Landlords -- Farm and household -- Production and consumption -- Political movement -- THREE Like Birds Freed from a Cage: Economic Changes in the Family-Farming Sector -- Land-Reform -- + 1955-1980: The first post-reform generation -- 1980 Onwards and the growth of wage-labour -- Co-operatives -- FOUR Experiences of Farming Since the Land-Reform -- The post-war experience -- The household -- Accounting -- FIVE An Economy of Scale: Wine Production on the Montalcino Estates -- The slow death of the Mezzadria -- Investment in wine production -- Estate production -- SIX Marks of Distinction -- Quantity -- Quality -- The happy island -- SEVEN Conclusion -- Farming and the transformation of nature -- Ecological economics -- Appendix 1 Statistical Material for Family-Farming Sector -- Appendix 2 Production Costs for Brunello Wine -- Bibliography -- Author Index -- Subject Index.