Drawing on data from rural communities both within and outside Europe, the contributors to this volume, originally published in 1984, examine the character and significance of non-wage forms of labour – for example unpaid household agricultural and domestic work and inter-household or community-level labour exchanges. Two central themes are explored. First, the question of the ‘survival’ of non-wage labour and ‘traditional’ patterns of family and household organization in situations where local economic units are, directly or indirectly, dependent upon commodity markets. Secondly, the changing nature and social evaluation of women’s work, both within the household and wider community, in contrasting rural settings. These themes are examined through a number of case-studies covering both industrialized Europe and less developed countries. The introductory chapter provides an overview of analytical perspectives on agrarian change and non-wage labour and indicates the broader theoretical implications of the case-studies. This volume will be especially useful for students and scholars working in the fields of rural sociology, economic anthropology, women’s studies and development studies.
