Everyday politics in peasant societies (and ours)

Abstract

Politics in peasant societies is mostly the everyday, quotidian sort. Hence, if one looks only for politics in conventional places and forms, much would be missed about villagers' political thought and actions as well as relationships between political life in rural communities and the political systems in which they are located. To make this case, the paper explains the meaning of everyday politics by distinguishing it from two other realms of politics and then discusses four types of everyday politics. The paper concludes by suggesting that, in addition to better understanding peasant societies, the concept of everyday politics makes us – researchers – further aware of, and realise the importance of, our own everyday political behaviour.