The Peasant Mode of Production and Systems of Exchange in England and Northern Francia: c. 500 to c. 700

Abstract

This article considers the model of the peasant mode of production developed in Chris Wickham’s FEMA, concentrating on England and Northern Francia. According to Wickham, these two regions constitute instances of the two different ways in which the ideal model of the peasant mode could work on the ground during the early medieval period. In England we see the «tribal» form, in which rural communities were economically autonomous, while in Francia —where elites were much more powerful— Wickham identified islands of peasant autonomy, surrounded by areas of strong aristocratic power. After assessing Wickham’s discussion of these two territories, this article discusses systems of exchange, and the participation of local communities in those systems, before considering some of the recent developments in both historical and archaeological research on peasants, bottom-up perspectives, networks and rural communities. Moreover, some of the key elements in Wickham’s model of peasant economies —redistribution, reciprocity, the centrality of gift-giving, social rank and the impermanence of strong hierarchies— are also reassessed.