Three non-capitalist approaches of peasant economics mobilising the principle of reciprocity

Eric Sabourin ()
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Eric Sabourin: UMR ART-Dev - Acteurs, Ressources et Territoires dans le Développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UM - Université de Montpellier - UMPV - Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry

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Abstract: Several socio-economic and socio-anthropological approaches associate peasant agricultures to production and redistribution systems based on other conceptions of value than this of capitalistic market exchange and on other relations than competition for the accumulation of private profit. This article examines three proposals from diverse backgrounds but sharing a common analysis of peasant farming around the notions of ethics, affection, autonomy and resistance. There are the moral economy of Scott (1976), the economy of affection of Hyden (1980) and the peasant principle of Ploeg (2008). These three authors also refer to the principle of reciprocity; thus, I propose first to analyze their contribution regarding the theory of reciprocity in anthropology (Scubla, 1985; Temple, 1997 and 2003, Sabourin, 2012) and, secondly, I will examine how these approaches could dialogue. The article is divided in three parts. The first proposes a reading of the three contributions; the second presents briefly the main points of the theory of reciprocity and the third one discusses commons lessons and perspectives of these approaches.

Keywords: Economy of reciprocity; Reciprocity; Peasant principle; Economy of the affection; Moral economy; Peasant societies; Principe paysan; économie agricole; Economie rurale; Réciprocité; Economie morale; Economie de l'affection; éthique; sociologie; anthropologie sociale; petit agriculteur; système de valeurs; exploitation agricole familiale; théorie économique; Amérique latine; Asie du Sud-Est; Brésil; Pérou; Viet Nam; marché; communauté rurale (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Published in Journal of Rural Studies, 2026, 122, pp.103992. ⟨10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103992⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05457232

DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103992

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